Let's Be Friends
by Rebelina11
Summary: Set after Season 4 of True Blood.  Sookie seizes the chance to go to night-school at LSU.  Someone follows her.  I wanted my "Happily Ever After," and couldn't wait for Season 5 to get it.  This is M from the get-go for a reason!
1. Let's be Friends

A/N: So… this happened: I was hitting the snooze button on my alarm over and over, and in between one of those ten minute lapses I had a dream. This was it. Written in third person omniscient because that's how I roll. But seriously, that's how it happened in my dream.

**Set after Season 4 of True Blood. Sookie seizes the chance to go to night-school at LSU. Someone follows her. I totally wanted my "Happily Ever After," and couldn't wait for Season 5 to get it. In keeping with TB's rating, this is M from the get-go for a reason.**

I don't own any of the characters. They belong to Charlaine Harris and Alan Ball and/or HBO. I'm poor, so you can sue if you wanna, but you won't get much.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1 – Let's be Friends<strong>

It was dark outside. Just that should have made Sookie put her guard up, but it was one of those nights. She had almost decided not to go to attend the Intro to Chemistry class, but it would be a lab day and she couldn't miss it. So, even though she had already changed into a ratty old T-shirt and Pink sweatpants, she went to the Shreveport campus, parked, and made her way to the Science building.

Sookie would have preferred to take all her classes online, but the requisite science and math classes were too complicated to do online. Besides, her chemistry class wasn't even offered online. Therefore here she was, having to spend three hours inside a classroom with a bunch of other working adults, twice a week for chemistry, and once a week for math.

From the very first night she learned a few things: the chemistry professor was a pervert. He also taught the younger students, and he'd had affairs with several, most of the time for grades. He'd had several lascivious thoughts about her and about several of her classmates. However, the second thing she learned was that, just like her, these working adults going to school were willing and able to work hard for their grades, and didn't have time or the desire for any hanky panky with the professor.

It didn't help, though, to be able to see inside the professor's head and the encounter he'd had earlier. The girl had been so very young, and the professor didn't even want to look at her face, just stick her penis inside her. It made Sookie almost physically sick.

She shored up her shields against every single thought in the lab, took her seat and proceeded to carefully avoid everybody. She was not in a social mood. She had witnessed her best friend's murder. She had broken up with the two loves of her life. Now she had Lafayette living in her house scared out of his wits by the ghosts he could see, Jason coming to visit way too often and harping on and on about his affair with Jessica, and Bill just across the cemetery offering way too much temptation in her loneliness. So, in a way, being in school was a sort of escape. She'd taken the earlier shifts at Merlotte's with Sam's blessing, and was now doing something to better herself. It was about time.

Sookie buried her head in her chemistry book and started going over some things, jotting down questions on her notebook, and reading over tonight's lab. She didn't notice the vampire that came into the classroom and sat at the back, but he noticed her. He took in her disheveled look, her messy ponytail and lack of makeup. Her scent swirled around the room mixing with other human smells, but he could have found her easily. He could still feel her inside him.

Eric sat without taking his eyes off her. He wanted to gauge her mood before approaching her. He hadn't seen her for several weeks, and the absence was grating on him. She was in mourning and sad, but she seemed otherwise peaceful except for one thing: once in a while he could feel longing, and it wasn't his own feelings for her. It was her feelings for him. She longed for him. She missed him. He missed her too.

The professor entered the classroom, smelling of sex and a too-strong cologne, making Eric thankful that he had chosen a seat so far back. None of the other students had yet cottoned on that he was a vampire, and so far he was alone on his table. It would be better this way.

A short woman sat next to Sookie, making her start. She had been completely absorbed in the book. Sookie had seen the woman in the lectures before, and didn't mind her company. She even offered to get Sookie's goggles for her, for which she was grateful. She was tired from that day's shift, and the less she had to move and walk around, the better.

"I'm Amy, by the way," the woman said, handing Sookie her goggles.

"I'm Sookie," she said, and smiled as best she could.

They started a friendly conversation while they classified matter by properties, and at the end of the lesson they had completed their work efficiently and had learned a bit more about each other. Amy was a wife and mom, working as an administrative assistant and taking classes at night. She was only a few years older than Sookie. It was nice that Sookie was getting to know new people… human people… since she always felt so lonely, now more than ever that Tara was gone. Maybe a healthy human relationship with a new friend is exactly what she needed.

By the end of the class Sookie was smiling of her own volition, without having to force the smile. Her shields were holding up good and everything was starting to look up. She packed up her books into her Pink tote and swung it over her shoulder. She froze.

How had she not noticed him sitting there for the past three hours? He was staring at her intently, waiting for her to do or say something. Sookie's knees felt like jelly and her heart started beating wildly. All those days and nights, missing him so much that it hurt, dreaming about him and wanting to keep on sleeping so that the dreams wouldn't end, calling to him in her mind because she felt so alone… all the bad things narrowed to that one moment when Eric was looking at her across the now empty classroom.

Sookie sat back on her chair, looking like she was out of breath. Eric once again felt her longing, knowing how much she truly wanted to be with him, how much she had missed him. He didn't want to scare her away again. He had an eternity to do right by her. He told himself that he could go as slow as she needed and love her as she wanted.

Eric stood and walked to his Sookie, feeling how his blood within her still called him. As he approached she turned her back on him. She was trying to keep her word to herself. How could he put herself first if she gave in to Eric?

Oh, but how hard it was to do that! She felt her tears brim and run over her cheeks, expecting Eric to leave now that she had turned her back. But how she wished he wouldn't! She wanted to feel him, to touch him and kiss him, to make her dreams a reality, and belong to him again. Be one with him.

Like in one of her dreams, she felt his arms circling her shoulders and hugging her tight against his chest. Her hands reached up to touch his arms, caress them, and she bent her head to kiss one, feeling whole for the first time in too long.

"Let's be friends," Eric said in his soothing voice. It was exactly what she needed. How did he know?

"Yes," she answered without hesitation.

**TBC**

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><p><strong>AN: These will be short chapters, and I don't think it'll be something epic. I don't even know exactly where it's going yet. That was the end of my dream, so now it's up to Miss Muse to guide me. Suggestions are welcome, just be nice. I'm not killing Bill because Jessica needs him.**


	2. Lab Partners

**A/N: **I got so many wonderful responses to this little fic. I'm very happy that I'm not the only one disappointed with True Blood. I know Alan Ball is not going to do what I want him to do… then again my name ain't HBO. So I'll do whatever I want with my story and darn it all as long as I get these two together as they should be.

Reminder that I'm going to try to keep to the TB storyline as much as possible, and that TB and SVM are two separate entities that happen to have similar characters. Thank you again, Alan Ball! *shakes fist*

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><p><strong>Chapter 2 – Lab Partners<strong>

Eric took Sookie's books and carried them like a gentleman. After a soft kiss on her cheek he walked with her to her car, slowly, so as to savor every moment with her. Sookie's heart was beating fast the whole time, and he took courage from that. He'd debated for weeks about whether to see her or not, and Pam was still upset with him, and he with her. This visit to Sookie wouldn't alleviate the problems he was having with his obstreperous child, but it couldn't be helped. He loved Sookie too much to let her go, particularly now that she knew of his love without shadow of a doubt.

"It's very nice to see you, Eric," Sookie said shyly as they walked through the LSU campus.

"I missed you, Sookie," he ventured to say. Maybe this would be okay.

"I did too," she confessed, and Eric felt immediately better. This was a change from her usual procedure. She usually hunkered down back into her shell like a little turtle. Her next statement surprised him even more. "I wasn't sure if I could come to Fangtasia and see you. Jessica said that Pam is very mad with me."

"She's not mad at you, she's mad at me. In any case you shouldn't let it bother you. Pam needs to understand that you're important to me too." Eric was adamant about that. His child would learn one way or another.

Sookie took a deep breath. She understood the bond between maker and child and didn't want to come between Eric and Pam. She had no way to avoid it because Eric wanted to be with her as much as she wanted to be with him. It was also none of her business.

"Are you going straight home?" Eric asked walking closer, their arms brushing as they walked.

Sookie's heart gave a leap at that question. It was really Eric's house, so the question could have been interpreted as her going straight to THEIR home. "Yes," she swallowed. "Ever since Tara and Jesús were killed Lafayette has been living with me. He's changed."

Eric arched an eyebrow but didn't voice his opinion. He knew Lafayette probably better than Sookie, and having him living in his house, the house he'd bought for Sookie, rubbed him the wrong way. However, at least Sookie wasn't alone. What to do, what to do?

Sookie felt his hesitance. "Look, Eric, I know it's your house and I know that you've been more than generous letting me live there. I can't buy it back from you now. I have a little money that my brother gave me from the sale, but you put so much work into it…" Sookie stopped talking abruptly because she had found herself without her companion.

Eric was standing a few paces back, shaking his head. "It's yours Sookie. Remember what I said to you, about us, about me."

She nodded. She remembered everything. It was obvious that Eric was having a hard time saying it again. Could she say it instead? "Thank you," she said and extended her hand. He put his large hand in hers and felt her squeeze it reassuringly. "I love you, Eric."

He stopped walking again. She looked up and his face was blank with shock. He really hadn't expected her to say it. Then he frowned. "But…?"

Sookie frowned too. "But what?"

"But what about Bill?" he pressed.

"Oh! Ah… Bill. You were right about him." Sookie paused, gathering the courage necessary to tell Eric what she'd wanted to say for so long. Eric waited patiently beside her, wisely keeping silent and letting Sookie come to her own conclusions.

"You said Bill had his chance, and you were right. I don't like some of the things you did, but ultimately you did them to keep me safe. Bill… well, Bill not so much. He did hurt me on purpose. I honestly can't believe I kept forgiving him."

"You were in love," Eric said, understanding the feeling better now.

"I was, but it shouldn't have blinded me. Ultimately he's no good for me. I don't want to talk about him anymore. Can we change the subject?" she asked, feeling uncomfortable. She'd told Eric more than she'd planned.

"Let's talk about me," he said with a wide smile that made her laugh for the first time in a very long time.

"Okay," she giggled and they began walking again, even slower than before.

"How handsome do you find me naked? I find you unbelievably desirable." The smile that graced his features remained. He was unable to stop and felt good about that new development. Giddy. That was the word he was looking for. She made him giddy with delight.

"You are like a god, Aegir," she joked, remembering his time swimming with gators. Then she started laughing harder. "I can honestly say you were fun while you were drunk, even though I was scared for you. I'm so glad I found you. I never imagined I'd find you swimming back there."

Eric chuckled, remembering how much he'd wanted her to join him, but then he sobered up. "I felt very lonely afterwards. I would have very much liked for you to remain by my side until I fell asleep."

"I was a little bit scared of you. I know better now," Sookie said and squeezed his hand again.

"When are you free? I would like to spend some time with you," he asked, knowing now that she would welcome his advances… as long as they were slow and subtle.

"I have math tomorrow night, but I'm free Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The bad part is those are your busy days, aren't they?"

"Don't worry, Sookie. I always find a way. Would you go out with me on Friday? I don't recall the last time I watched a movie." Eric watched Sookie intently, waiting for her answer. Surely a movie wouldn't be too bad.

"I'd love to," she answered and flushed. Even in the faint lights scattered over the campus he could see he had an effect on her.

They reached Sookie's car and were both reluctant to leave the other. Eric understood, however, that it would have to be that way so that Sookie wouldn't feel trapped. This time she was the one choosing him. All she needed was a little room to prove to herself that it was the right choice.

"Thank you for… coming to see me," Sookie said, not quite sure what to thank him for because she felt grateful about so many things. "I really am very happy to see you. Are you really taking the chemistry class, or did you sneak in?"

Eric laughed for the second time that night. "I really am enrolled in the class. Might as well learn something."

"This is going to sound very high-school, but would you like to be my lab partner?" Sookie asked, although she wasn't sure if Eric would get the reference to high school.

"It would be my pleasure," he answered, bringing her hand up to his lips and kissing it softly. The feel of her warm skin sent a rush of memories through his mind, and he filed them all away, each single one meant to be cherished.

Sookie put her free hand on his cheek, the tips of her fingers caressing soft strands of hair on his temple. Eric looked up, asking her a silent question. Her nod was almost imperceptible, but it was there. Slowly he got closer to her, keeping all his instincts in check and his hands away from her body. He bent over her small form and brushed her lips with his, waiting for Sookie to make the next move. She caught his bottom lip between hers, then the top. She was kissing him.

Eric pulled away first, not wanting to ruin the kiss with everything else he wanted to do to her, like ravage her in the middle of the LSU parking lot. He allowed himself one touch, one caress over her cheek. "I will pick you up on Friday."

"Until Friday," she confirmed and smiled radiantly.

He took the memory of that smile and filed it away to cherish later, along with all the other memories of their time together.

**TBC**

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><p><strong>AN: I guess Mr. Edgington has to make an appearance, just to give the story a little spice. I like Russell… he's nuts!**


	3. Movie Buddies

**A/N: **So much love. And I'd heard that the TB fanfic side didn't have that many people showing stories their love… LIES! Or maybe I have excellent readers. I'm sure it's the latter.

Don't forget to visit my blog at rebelina11(dot)com to read "Nothing's Gonna Change My World." Plus the blog has a brand new look that's easier to read… and pretty pictures. This story updates on the blog at the same time as it does here on Fanfiction. Happy Reading!

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><p><strong>Chapter 3 – Movie Buddies<strong>

Eric was indecisive. He had never bothered with taking anyone out for a date, but knew that Sookie had been on plenty of them with Compton. He wanted to look good but not out of place, and his current clothes ensemble, though it looked good, to him it looked too formal.

Ginger passed by the doorway to his office in Fangtasia and he called to her. She entered quickly, thinking she was needed for something other than an innocent question. Eric stopped her with a hand in front of him before she could get too close.

"I'm going to a movie, Ginger. Is this outfit too formal?" he asked her, knowing that Pam would have been a better one to ask, but not wanting to open that particular can of worms.

Ginger took in his light gray cashmere sweater and dark gray wool pants. His hair was slicked back and his shoes were shining like mirrors. She shook her head. "If you change into a pair of jeans and a different pair of shoes you'll fit in better. It looks like you're going to the theatre."

Eric thanked her and took her advice, bemused that Ginger knew how people dressed to go to a theatre. As he changed into a pair of blue jeans he felt Pam's presence at the door. She didn't cross the threshold. She wasn't even visible. "Pam! I can hear you breathing," he mocked her.

Pam entered then, studying her maker intensely. She had an idea that he might be getting ready to go see Sookie. She knew he had disappeared the night before last to go see her, if her scent on him was anything to go by. It was faint, but it was there. However, she was trying to make amends and get back on Eric's good graces. She had already made too many mistakes.

"You will ask where I am going. Go on," he pressed, wanting to get the conversation over with already.

"Where are you going, Master?" she asked, making her voice sound properly deferential and docile.

"I am taking Sookie out on a date. Now it's your turn to tell me why it's a bad idea."

"You missed her," Pam said, knowing this was a battle she would not win. "I understand."

Eric looked at Pam and studied her just as she'd done to him. Her disapproval was not as rampant as it had been before. There was almost a feeling of resignation coming from his unruly child. Perhaps there was a glimmer of hope.

"She's important to me, Pam. I wish you could find one that you could love like I love Sookie. Then, maybe, it would be easier for you to understand what it's like to miss that person so thoroughly."

"I love you, Eric," she said, and was quick to add, "Not in that way, of course, but I would miss you if you were gone. You know that."

"All I ask is for your understanding. I don't need your approval, just understand that I need Sookie and I love her. She loves me too and in the end she will be mine again. But she needs time and I am willing to give it to her. We have both been through a lot and need some time to get to know each other." Eric walked closer to Pam and put his hands on her shoulders. "It doesn't mean I don't love you or that I will leave you."

Pam looked up and gave him a small smile. "I do understand," she said again, and accepted his kiss on her forehead.

Eric left Fangtasia in his brand new Corvette. He preferred silence for now, getting lost in thoughts of Sookie: what would she wear, which perfume would she choose, what would they talk about, would they kiss again? At the thought of kissing he felt the first stirrings of his lust. Good thing Ginger recommended the jeans. They covered more than the slacks he'd had on.

But he couldn't keep his mind from wandering, as it had done every night since he recovered his memories. He remembered the way Sookie had stood on her porch, opening her arms, calling to him, the embrace that followed. Then the kiss. She had kissed him, not the other way around. He was aware that she had fallen in love with a part of him that he didn't like to show, a vulnerable part that could be easily broken, that she had indeed broken by pushing him away. Thankfully the bond he shared with Sookie kept him from losing his sanity, as he could feel how much she still cared for him and missed him. He had expected to break when he saw her again, but took the chance anyway.

Sookie had surprised him instead, by readily accepting his offer of friendship and then reminding him that she loved him. She had said it, the word spilling from her lips easily, because she felt it truly. He felt it too, but perhaps he was more of a coward than her.

The house he had bought for Sookie was quiet when he arrived. The top levels were dark, and the lights were on in the kitchen and living room. What he wouldn't give to make this house completely his, spending his days in the cubby with Sookie nearby. "One day," he said to himself as he emerged from the car.

Eric rang the doorbell, not wanting to push his luck by using his keys to the door. If he was going to do this, he was going to do it right. In turn he was rewarded with a radiant Sookie opening the door and smiling widely, clearly happy to see him. She reached for his hand and pulled him inside.

"Come in for a minute. I just have to get my purse," she said, sounding excited. Who knew that the prospect of going on a date with him would make her so happy? "I'm sorry. My brain is just scattered today," she called, running up the stairs.

Eric looked around, inhaling deeply, taking in Sookie's scent and his own, which permeated a certain chair in the living room. He smiled to himself, knowing why their mingled scents had remained on that particular piece of furniture. The only other person he smelled in the house was Lafayette, but he wasn't in. Sookie's generous nature with her friends would be the death of him. He only hoped Lafayette had mended his ways and wasn't selling drugs out of Sookie's house, because Eric would eat his heart. For now Lafayette was keeping Sookie company in her grief, and he was feeling magnanimous. He would allow Lafayette to remain.

Sookie ran downstairs, missing the last step and landing on Eric. She was grateful for his vampire reflexes, because she would have done a face plant for sure. What was it about tonight that had her all tied up in knots? Something about sitting in a darkened movie theatre with Eric was incredibly exciting, as normal as such a thing sounded.

The truth was she had missed him, so seeing him was a true pleasure. She was hoping they would be able to talk, pair the physical attraction with what she had started to see from him while he lost his memories. She wanted that sweet man back… and look at that! There he was, hugging her tight and planting a soft his on her hair.

They drove to Shreveport talking about movies, the old ones that Eric knew best. He confessed that he hadn't had a chance to watch many movies ever since he'd become sheriff of his area.

"So you didn't watch 'Titanic,' or 'Pirates of the Caribbean'?" Sookie asked, watching as Eric's face broke into a smile.

"I've heard references to them, but haven't had the pleasure," he answered, hoping it would give her a few ideas.

Indeed it did. "Then we'll have to make a date of it. You have to watch the new classics!" Sookie smiled, knowing exactly what he was doing, but not really minding having something else to look forward to. Having him near was all she wanted.

They arrived at the packed movie theatre, and decided on a movie that had been showing for a few weeks already. Hopefully it wouldn't be too full. Sookie was too nervous and excited to eat any popcorn, so they went straight to where their movie was showing and sat at the very back. Eric was immediately surprised. He'd never been in a theatre with reclining seats, arms that could be moved out of the way, and he certainly enjoyed the extra room for his legs between the seat rows.

Sookie giggled when the first thing he did was to lift the seat arm between them out of the way and put his arm over her shoulder to pull her closer. She settled in to watch the previews, happy that Eric seemed to be enjoying himself as much as she was. She told him so and he simply smiled at her adoringly, his eyes sparkling in the low light.

The movie was an unexpected treat. Even though it was an action packed thriller, Sookie couldn't remember the last time she laughed so much. It had a lot to do with her companion, of course, making silly remarks and not quite getting into the spirit of make-believe.

"Notice that the good guys always have perfect aim and the bad guys can never shoot worth a damn," he whispered into her ear, sending a sweet thrill through her skin. "You'd think the bad guys would be better, having more practice."

Sookie giggled delighted. "Maybe the good guys are bad asses who like to shoot a lot, or practice a lot."

"I think the good guys are secretly bad guys. Makes you wonder why the bad guys are after them. Perhaps the good guys are just putting up a good front."

"You would know, huh? You're a good guy who likes to pretend you're a bad guy."

"You know me too well, my Sookie," he said and planted a soft kiss on her temple.

Eric and Sookie waited until all the credits had rolled through before leaving the coziness of their hideout within the theatre. They walked leisurely back to the car, holding hands and not saying much, each enjoying the quiet time together and once again finding it difficult to say goodbye.

Eric opened the car door for Sookie, stealing a quick kiss from her lips as she passed in front of him to get in the passenger seat. She got another sweet thrill as she sat on the soft leather. She waited patiently, watching as he sauntered around the front hood of the car, obviously showing off for her benefit. Not that there was much need for that: she knew exactly what that nice soft sweater and the designer jeans were covering. Still, she was glad he was willing to take it slow. Her poor heart needed some time to mend.

The ride home was spent making plans about future outings, talking about not much at all. It had been an intense month or so for them, so simple pleasures were in order. Sookie was highly disappointed when Eric turned into her long driveway.

"Lafayette's home," she muttered, seeing the fancy car her friend drove. God only knew how he could afford such a machine. In any case, her spirits plummeted now that her night with Eric was over, even as she knew that they would see each other again on Monday during their chemistry class. She smiled at that thought as she turned to him.

"What are you smiling about?" Eric asked, smiling back. Her smile was contagious.

"We have chemistry on Monday. Did you do your homework?" She laughed right after she asked the question, watching as Eric's smile faded into a look of annoyance. "How are you supposed to learn if you don't do your homework?"

An idea lit his face back up. "Maybe I should come over your house on Sunday and we can have a study date."

Sookie leaned over and Eric met her halfway, letting her place a soft kiss on his mouth, her hand caressing his face. "Okay," she said, then gave herself over to his slow kiss.

Just like before, he was the first one to break the kiss. Sookie felt a little disappointed but gave him points for pulling away, even if his eyes told her he wanted more. Much more. One of them had to be the stronger one.

Eric walked her to her door and kissed her lightly before letting her go inside. Even if he wanted nothing less than to make love to his Sookie, the kisses they had shared were like sips of water to a man dying of thirst: not nearly enough, but he'd take whatever he could get. It would be worth it.

Eric drove away and Sookie went to bed, neither of them aware of the dark shadows that had watched them from the tree line bordering the house.

**TBC**

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><p><strong>AN: I just wanted to say one little something. I know one can spell theatre as theater, and in the U.S. the latter is more popular, but if I did I am sure that my former Intro to Theatre professor would show up at my door and take away the "A" he gave me all those years ago. I think I'd rather keep it :-D**


	4. Old Enemies

**A/N: **So who was lurking in the shadows? Let's find out. As always: a big thanks to all my readers, especially those of you who have reviewed, favorited (it's a word) and alerted this story. Y'all get big Viking hugs and kisses!

Don't forget that this story is also on my blog with pictures! You can access my blog from my profile or go to rebelina11 (dot) com

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><p><strong>Chapter 4 – Old Enemies<strong>

The vampire watched from the cover of trees, standing downwind from the Viking and the pretty fairy hybrid. Her scent wafted over to him and made him salivate. He'd already drained a human per night since he broke from his internment, but none could compare with the blood of one Sookie Stackhouse. He owed the Viking a slow final death, but the fairy would be his to keep on tap, shiny electrifying fingers notwithstanding. He would think of something to keep those from hurting him, even if he had to cut her hands off.

As soon as the Viking left in his fancy new car, his companion grunted in disappointment beside him. He rolled his eyes at her and made a face. She had already stunk to high heaven, and only the spell he'd worked on her made the stench mildly tolerable.

"What's the matter, pudding?" he asked her, to see how she was progressing with the talking thing. He'd fed her the remainders of his human victims, and she seemed grateful enough that chose to hang around with him, if only for food. He would take his friends anywhere he could find them, since obviously the vampire and human communities were lacking. A fresh body from the cemetery? It was a good thing he'd learned his fair share of Voodoo magic throughout his long three-thousand-year-old life.

"Haaauuun-grrrrry," his companion muttered. She was indeed getting better at speaking.

"You don't want to eat your friend, do you?" he asked. She nodded, her hair falling forward revealing the part of her head that was missing. "Tell you what: if you can get inside the house and bring her outside, I will let you eat her brain. How does that sound?" She grunted, probably in agreement, but who really knew? "If Franklin could see you now… he'd be so proud of you," he muttered and fixed her hair a little, then sent her on her way.

Russell Edgington was nothing if not impatient. He'd learned to simply take whatever he wanted, and his long life was proof that patience is overrated. He watched from the trees as the young zombie made her way to the front door of the house. She fumbled at the stairs, not quite able to figure out how to climb them. Nobody said Russell had the cleverest friends, and right now she was the only one who could go inside that house and retrieve what he wanted.

Of course, the promise of giving the zombie the brains of her fairy friend was as empty as his heart without Talbot. It was so not going to happen. He needed Sookie Stackhouse whole.

The zombie tripped over the stairs with a loud wet crash of limbs and sinew, probably doing her body more damage in the process. A light came on in the upstairs part of the house, then another, letting Russell know that Sookie was not alone in that house. Better safe than sorry. He called his zombie child over to him, and she tried to obey, taking lumbering steps back into the woods.

A tall dark man opened the front door suddenly, holding a gun and aiming it at the clumsy specter.

"What the fuck is that?" he said, lowering the gun so he could see better, but it was too late. "I swear to God…" he muttered in an angry tone.

Lafayette turned back inside the house, convinced that Tara's ghost had been trying to get into the house. But why hadn't she come in just like all the other ghosts he'd seen? He couldn't come up with a ready answer. After all, the seeing-ghosts business was brand new to him. Maybe not all behaved the same way, and God knew Tara was a crazy bitch in life.

"Everything okay?" Sookie asked from the top of the stairs, where she had remained under threat of a gun to her ass.

"I think Tara's ghost was trying to come in now," Lafayette said, returning the gun to the coat closet next to the door before making his way back upstairs.

"You think so? I would really like to see her again. I miss her," Sookie said, feeling the tug in her heart from missing her friend so much.

"I'm not sure, sweetie." Lafayette took a deep breath. Sookie was the only one left that cared for him, even opening her house so that he wouldn't feel lonely. He stopped in his tracks. "How did your date go?"

Sookie gulped and plastered a fake smile on her face. She hated lying to Lafayette, but felt she had to, given his history with Eric. "It went great. Are you going to be here Sunday evening?" she asked, because if he was she would have to finally come clean about Eric.

"Nah… I have to go work for 'da man.' Sam won't be in and he left Terry and me in charge of Merlotte's. I don't ever see you in there at night, not even on your nights off from school."

"I need to study on those nights, you know?"

"Except tonight, huh?"

"I can make exceptions."

"Uh-huh," he smiled. "It's okay. You're finally smiling again, that's a good thing. He better treat you like a queen," he said, pointing a finger and wiggling it at her.

Sookie giggled. "He has so far. He's been very sweet and gentlemanly."

Lafayette and Sookie went back to their respective beds, but neither was able to fall asleep right away. Sudden frights were never good, particularly at night.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I forgot to tell you something," Pam began when she saw Eric walk into his office at Fangtasia. The bar was still busy, even though it would close in only an hour.

"Did you forget or were you too mad to tell me?" he asked, settling in his seat behind his desk. He kept replaying Sookie's kisses over and over in his mind. Delicious.

"Something like that," Pam mumbled.

He could already tell it had been something rather important. The wonderful night he had enjoyed was about to go down the drain. He didn't want to say the wrong thing after the frail peace that seemed to have descended between them, so he waved at her to proceed.

"Alcide called asking about a silver chain he found in a parking lot. He said the lot had to be repaved because there was a big hole and a huge silver chain lying next to it. He wondered if we knew anything about that, and then he wondered if you had made the hole and if you were going to pay for the damage," Pam said, watching as Eric's face changed from disbelief to all out anger.

He cursed loudly and in Swedish. Pam had read that when people revert back to their mother tongue it's because their thought processes are atrophied, such as during strong emotions or if the person was sleepy or tired. Eric wasn't sleepy.

"When did he tell you this?" Eric bellowed, already standing in front of her baring his fangs. Immediately she knew she'd made a huge mistake.

"That was Russell, wasn't it?" she asked, trying to stall. He continued waiting for her answer to his question. "Alcide called me almost three weeks ago, right after the witches' thing. I thought you were going to kill Russell."

"Russell Edgington deserves to pay for what he has done to me and what is mine," Eric growled low in his chest. Then a new fear settled deep within his gut. "Sookie… she's not safe."

Immediately he grabbed his phone and called her, letting out a breath when she answered in a drowsy voice. "Eric? Are you okay?"

"Yes, I was going to ask you the same thing," he said, pacing.

"Mmm-hmm… I just fell asleep not two minutes ago," she said. Eric could hear the sound of sheets rustling.

"Did anything happen after I left?" he asked, needing to be where she was.

There was a pause of the line that seemed too long. "Funny you should mention it," Sookie began and yawned. "Sorry for yawning in your ear. Um… earlier Lafayette and I heard a noise outside, but it turned out to be nothing. Actually Lafayette thinks it might have been a ghost."

"Sookie, I need to stay the night in your house. We have a big problem and you need protection. Is it okay for me to spend the day in the cubby?" Eric didn't want to have to ask for permission into his own house, but if he didn't then the progress he'd been making with Sookie would have been for absolutely nothing.

"I keep it locked," she said in a very low voice, "so Lafayette doesn't know what's in there. You can come, but you better tell me what's going on. I need to know, you understand?"

"I'm on my way," Eric said and hung up. He grabbed a change of clothes and a bag, knowing that he'd forgotten to leave any while settling in Sookie's house before Sookie returned from the land of the fairies. He hadn't forgotten his books, but he'd forgotten his clothes. It just went to show where his mind had been.

"This conversation isn't over, Pamela," he said, walking away swiftly without giving her a backwards glance.

Pam took it. After all, she understood that she shouldn't have kept something like that from him. It had been more than petty. It had been cruel. She had been hoping that Russell would find Sookie and make her disappear, but now she wasn't so sure that she really wanted that. Eric would suffer tremendously at the loss of his lover. It wouldn't be fair to him. Even though she had no choice but to stay and close Fangtasia, she made plans to go and find Russell herself.

Nobody would mess with Eric.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Eric arrived at Sookie's window, which she had left open just a smidge. He lifted it and snuck inside, closing it again so she wouldn't get cold. Sookie took a deep breath and turned to the sound of rustling fabric. Eric was quickly taking off his shoes so as to not make any noise whatsoever.

"Hi," she said, and gave him a sleepy smile.

Eric glided over to her bed, remembering all the wonderful ways he'd had her in this very room. He pushed away the memories. Sookie was tired and, besides, they weren't at that point yet. He sat beside her and tucked a golden strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry I woke you," he said in a whisper.

"I've been jumpy since earlier, don't worry," she said and moved to the other side of the bed and away from him. Eric's heart sank until she patted the bed beside her.

He lay down, careful to remain above the covers and to maintain some space between Sookie's body and his. She reached for his hand and twined her fingers in his.

"I feel better now that you're here, but you have to tell me what's going on," she said and her eyes closed. Without another word she fell asleep, her body giving up and succumbing to her exhaustion.

He made her a silent promise that he would tell her everything. This time it was different. Now she was his and she needed to know what was going on. Thankfully it seemed that Russell hadn't caught on to the fact that Sookie was no longer the owner of her house, something that Eric needed to rectify immediately. It would be the only way to keep him outside and Sookie safe within.

Eric sent a quick text message to his child, and asked her to begin the paperwork necessary for the transaction. Then, in another quick blur, he sent a message to his king, letting him know that Russell Edgington had broken through the confines of his cement grave and was now roaming through northwestern Louisiana. He was sure Bill would appreciate knowing the threat was at large.

TBC


	5. Dearly Departed

**A/N: **You guys are absolutely fantastic! I'm channeling a little bit of Russell. Thank you so much for showing your support for this fic. Your reviews cracked me up!

Sorry about throwing some/most of you for a loop about the Tara thing. I figured, since Rutina Wesley – who plays Tara in the show – has been officially signed on to play on season 5 of TB, I had to make Tara appear somehow… and I didn't want her as a vamp! I have a sneaky suspicion that my idea is not that far from what is truly going to happen. Alan Ball reads fanfiction, I'm sure of it… and if he's reading this, he better be taking notes. I'LL GIVE IT TO YOU FOR FREE, ALAN! JUST MAKE IT HAPPEN!

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><p><strong>Chapter 5 – Dearly Departed<strong>

Sookie woke up with a start when she felt her bed move. She sat up and immediately remembered that she had fallen asleep holding Eric's hand. He was looking at her with a sweet smile from the other end of the bed. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes so she could see him better.

"Is it almost dawn?" she asked as he leaned over the bed and kissed her forehead.

"Yes, my Sookie. I'm going downstairs now. It's very early, you should go back to sleep," he suggested.

"I'm coming with you." She jumped from the bed, grabbed a couple of pillows and her blanket and led the way.

Eric smiled to himself, watching her small figure clutching her pillows and blanket, clad in that horrible pink nightgown with angels stamped on the front, and her hair sticking out every which way. He couldn't love her more.

He descended into the cubby first, took the pillows and blanket, and then waited as she made her way down slowly. He hadn't noticed her socks before: they were pink and fuzzy. He smiled again and grabbed her waist, lowering her the last few steps. She arranged the pillows and the blanket while waiting for him to get comfortable. Eric took off his shoes again, and settled his long body on the dark bed that was really meant for only one. Sookie lay beside him, her head on his shoulder, and covered them both with the blanket.

"I don't have to go to work today until eleven," she said sleepily, snuggling closer to his chest.

Eric hugged her, enjoying her warmth. "I'll pick you up from work."

"You haven't told me yet what's wrong," Sookie said, lifting her face to look at his eyes. "I won't have you treating me like…" She stopped herself. It wasn't fair to compare Eric to Bill… or even to Eric himself.

"Like Bill did," he finished for her. "The times I kept things from you were for your own good. If I'd told you what was going on, your reactions wouldn't have been genuine. I needed Russell to believe I would kill you. I'm so sorry."

Sookie took a deep breath. That was something she would have never expected "real Eric" to say: sorry. "Apology accepted on one condition."

"Name it."

"Tell me what's going on now."

Eric paused. He'd thought all night about how to tell her what had happened with Russell, knowing it was his fault for not killing him once and for all. His thirst for revenge had clouded his thoughts. He should have known better. And now Sookie was in danger once again. Even some of the sun was better than nothing at all and Russell would want that. Eric was sure that Russell's first item of business would be to get to Sookie so he could take advantage of her blood. After that, he would get Eric, probably using Sookie as bait. Eric would never allow it. Sookie would remain safe.

"I didn't kill Russell," he said finally, and felt a stab of pain in his chest remembering his family and how Russell's wolves had savagely killed them all. He finally confessed to Sookie the whole story of how and why he despised Russell Edgington with every fiber of his being. He confessed to killing Talbot. He confessed that, even though using Sookie looked like a means to only exact revenge, it was in fact a means to keep her safe as well. Russell already knew what Sookie could do with her powers. He would have kept her for himself, another oddity, another knickknack for his collection. "In the end," he concluded, "I wanted him to suffer. Death seemed too good for him, too peaceful. Bill and I bound him in silver and threw him in a pit under a building, then covered him with cement. Bill tried to do the same thing to me, and you know how that went. Right then I should have known that if the cement wouldn't hold me, the cement and chains wouldn't hold Russell."

Sookie was staring at Eric wide-eyed. She wasn't sure what to think. For once Eric was telling her every single little thing that she wished to know, only it was all like a horrible nightmare. She tried to put herself in Eric's shoes and view it from his perspective: the mighty Eric, prince of a Viking kingdom, losing everything in one night to a powerful being that he had no way to defeat. His warrior nature would have wanted to find and punish the culprit no matter the cost. It had taken him a thousand years, and he had failed.

"I'm so sorry," she said finally, coming to her own conclusions.

Eric looked at her puzzled. "Why? You are the least culpable."

"Because of everything you went through. It was unfair. I know what it's like to lose your family, but at least I had my Gran, and I still have Jason. You had nobody. I understand your wish for revenge. I'm just sorry it went all crooked. I know I should probably be mad at you for not killing Russell, but I'm tired of being mad at you. I'd rather you tell me how I can help." Sookie put her head down on his chest again, feeling as she was lifted up when he took a deep breath.

"Thank you," he said simply, yet another thing she wasn't sure she'd ever hear coming from his lips. "This is why I love you," he whispered and caressed her hair. Sookie closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, cherishing that moment for what it was.

Eric was astounded, even though he knew that he shouldn't have been. Sookie was so brave and perceptive, willing to see things in a way that others wouldn't or couldn't. He realized that he should have always trusted her from the very beginning. He closed his eyes and let the dawn take him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Pam followed Eric to Merlotte's, keeping her distance and watching to see if anybody would follow her master. When he took to the air she ran and hid in the trees surrounding Merlotte's. Eric was already there, leaning against Sookie's car. Pam stayed still, watching and listening. Smelling. What the hell was that foul stench? It smelled like a corpse, but the smell was moving. How could that be?

Eric must have smelled it too because he took up a protective stance in front of Sookie's car, lifting his face to the wind and following the direction of the disgusting odor. Pam decided it was time to join her maker. Something was wrong and, whatever it was, they needed to face it together.

"I knew you were around," he quipped when Pam appeared beside him. "It smells like a walking corpse," he said under his breath, barely able to believe it. Could it be? And who had done this? He thought they'd gotten rid of the only one who could bring corpses to life.

"A zombie?" Pam asked, sounding like someone had just hit the air out of her. His child was not easily surprised, but he knew she'd never seen a zombie before. She was about to see one now.

"Get ready," he announced, as both of them braced themselves.

They waited and waited, the zombie was there, just past the tree line, but it wasn't advancing, more like tottering back and forth. Eric and Pam followed the movement with their ears and noses, unable to see exactly where it was inside the trees.

"What is it doing?" Pam asked, just as they heard the employee door open behind Merlotte's.

A sudden fear gripped Eric at the same time that they heard a scream in the night. "Distraction!" he yelled as he ran towards the scream, now moving farther away from him.

Somebody had Sookie. The walking corpse had served as a distraction to steal Sookie right from under him. He took to the air, flying faster than he could run, hoping Pam had brought some kind of weapon with her because they might need it.

Sookie's scent hit his nostrils, a mixture of her sweet honey bouquet and the stink of abject horror. He could feel his own fear mixed with hers. Russell had her, he was sure of it.

"Not again, not again," he muttered, seeing the vampire below him carrying Sookie over his shoulder. She was no longer screaming but whimpering, probably because it was difficult to catch her breath as fast as they were moving. It would be of no use to engage Russell in a fight because he was three times as old as Eric. Eric would lose. His best bet was to snatch Sookie back from Russell and fly her out of there.

Eric fell on Russell, which made him release Sookie. She fell to the ground with a thickening thud. Russell had been moving as fast as a car, and the force of Eric's hit on the other vampire was like a car hitting a wall. Eric didn't have time to think about Russell, who was bellowing some incoherent nonsense, or to see if Sookie had been injured by the sudden stop and fall. He took Sookie in his arms and flew, calling to his child so that she would follow him and stay away from Russell.

"Can't breathe," Sookie mumbled in his arms.

Eric reached her house and set her down on the porch, checking her for injuries. She winced as he touched her stomach, and screamed when he pressed harder. Faster than he could think, he bit his wrist and put it to her mouth.

"Drink, Sookie, please. I'm so sorry," he said, watching her drink, scared that Russell would show up at any moment while she was still drinking and unable to move.

He felt Pam nearby and smelled the foul odor from the zombie. He turned his head quickly to see his child emerge from the trees towing the unlikely corpse.

"You have GOT to be kidding me!" Pam yelled, shaking the corpse until its teeth rattled. "She cannot be killed! How many times have I tried and look at this shit!"

"Tara," Sookie whispered. She had stopped drinking Eric's blood to look at what had happened to her former friend. "Who did that to her?"

Sookie turned to Eric for some sort of explanation, but there was only one thing he could say.

"Russell Edgington."

**TBC**


	6. New Landlord

**A/N: **As many of you know I had a little bit of an issue with me last week. All is now well and great. I truly appreciate your love for this story and your patience. I'm still hoping Alan Ball is reading and getting some good ideas. So… here we go!

P.S.: Don't forget that this story updates on my blog with a picture, and also "Nothing's Gonna Change My World" updates ONLY on the blog on Wednesdays. You can go directly to rebelina11(dot)com.

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><p><strong>Chapter 6 – New Landlord<strong>

Bill Compton was interrupted in the middle of a feeding by his guards. They never did that. He heeded his guards' call because the sudden fear that something had happened to Sookie was more than real. He could feel that she had been hurt almost as soon as his guards knocked on his bedroom door. He dismissed his meal and quickly dressed, joining his entourage on the way down the stairs.

"There was a commotion in the woods. When one of us went to investigate, we found Northman's child holding a zombie by the neck, and Northman giving his blood to Miss Stackhouse on her porch," the head of security informed Bill.

With sudden anger a jealous rage, Bill exited his house and immediately found himself on Sookie's property – which wasn't exactly hers. Sookie was first to grab his attention: she was crying in Eric's arms while he rocked her slowly, seemingly trying to comfort her. Bill felt his jealousy spike, but there was nothing to be done for it now. If he harmed Northman, Sookie would never forgive him. He had to bide his time.

Bill looked around and saw Pam still holding the decaying body of Sookie's friend Tara by the neck. The zombie was grunting but otherwise not doing much. He swallowed the surprise at seeing Tara in such a state and instead gave full rein to his anger.

"Explain," he ordered all of them. Somebody had raised the dead, and that was not to be tolerated.

"Russell Edgington," Pam said between gritted teeth, making the corpse rattle within her grip. "He did this, and he attacked Sookie tonight and almost kidnapped her."

If Bill's blood could run colder it would have. As it was he started shaking in anger and frustration. He had feared that something like this might happen when the witch had tried to make the vampires meet the sun. Russell must have felt the same impulse, and it was that which had helped him escape the confines of his cement grave.

Eric moved Sookie inside the house, and Bill followed. He questioned the wisdom of having Sookie inside any house owned by a vampire with Russell on the loose. There was no magic to keep him at bay, nothing that could keep Sookie safe, unless they took her to a human's house. He thought of the last time she'd taken shelter like that in her brother's house, and that hadn't turned out so well either. Sookie was hardheaded and stubborn, and if she could break through her own confines, who were they to keep her safe?

Both Bill and Eric heard the sickening sound of a head being torn from a body before Pam joined them inside the house, washing her hands in the kitchen before making her way to the living room. She could hear Sookie muttering some sentimental things about her zombie friend, and Eric's soft murmurs telling her it would all be okay. For once Pam felt sorry for Sookie. She could understand the grief of losing her best friend, which was now compounded by the violation of the body. As much as Pam disliked Sookie, she could still understand grief. She wondered how Sookie would take it now that Pam had disposed of the zombie.

Inside Pam's jacket were a lease form and a pen. She retrieved both and set them on the coffee table, making sure to engage Eric's attention in the process.

"Short of selling the house back to Sookie, which is a lengthy process as you know, you can rent the property to her for now and she will become the human 'owner,' so to speak," Pam said.

"Sookie," Eric said in a very low voice. He was cradling the girl on his lap. He never looked more in love or in pain for his beloved than at that moment. Pam couldn't help but feel his pain too. What was it about this girl that had all these men in her thrall?

Sookie looked up and nodded. She'd heard and understood Pam perfectly. She turned within Eric's embrace and signed the paper. As soon as Eric signed it as well, all three vampires felt the pull of the magic to exit the house.

"Eric, Bill and Pam are invited in my home!" Sookie said quickly, stopping their retreat which had almost made her fall off Eric's lap and onto the floor. "It works," she declared, more relieved than happy.

"We still have to do something about Russell," Pam said turning to Bill. He was still King, after all. He was as much to blame for Russell's reappearance as Eric was, and he was now in charge of any and all rogue vampires.

Bill nodded, accepting his responsibility. He wasn't going to make it easy on Eric, though. "I will need your help. I can't allow Russell to raise an army of zombies."

"I understand," Eric said. He wished his maker was still with him. Between the two of them they could take on Russell. Unfortunately he would have to rely on what was left of his fiefdom, and hopefully Bill would call in some help… if he still had help to call upon. "We will need some muscle."

"I will start making calls," Bill said, stood, and left. He was happy to have something to occupy his thoughts; something other than Sookie. As soon as he was back in his compound, he called his child. With Russell on the loose, nobody was safe.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Eric helped Sookie upstairs. She was completely healed but tired and grieving. He helped her with no desire to have her, only the desire to comfort her. It was one of those feelings that were new to him, but welcomed. He loved her, and more than proving it to her, he was proving it to himself, surprising himself with the depth of his feelings.

Sookie emerged from the bathroom, showered and smelling of soap and shampoo. He recalled the night he'd surprised her after a shower, and then regretted his past actions. She would have been his sooner, he now understood, if only he had not shown her just how much he wanted her. Now he wanted her because he loved her, so the joke was on him.

"Stay, if you can," she asked, getting in bed and burrowing into the covers.

"I can. I have to wait for Bill's instructions. I'll stay with you as long as I can," he said. He took off his shoes and his jacket, lying on top of the covers like he'd done the night before.

"What happened to Tara?" Sookie asked. She feared the answer, but at the same time she needed to know.

"Sookie, you know that wasn't Tara. Tara is gone. That was just a body, not your friend."

"I know, Eric. I still… I want to know what happened to the body," she corrected.

"Pam took care of it," Eric said in a low voice laced with pity. He was feeling very sorry for what Sookie had gone through that night.

"Pam always wanted to kill Tara," Sookie observed with a rare flash of her usual cleverness. She almost smiled. "If I hadn't witnessed Debbie killing Tara, I would be really mad at Pam right now."

"I understand. She's been less than nice…"

"Tara wasn't nice to Pam either," Sookie interrupted. "Tara was difficult, but she had a difficult life. She was a good friend to me, though. Do you really believe that her soul wasn't inside that body?"

"I'm positive, Sookie. Zombies are nothing but a body. I've seen a few before, and it is very scary that Russell knows how to raise the dead. All he has to do is kill a human and make him into a zombie. He chose Tara because he wanted to make you upset. He could just as soon pick somebody else."

Sookie sighed and caressed one of Eric's hands. She had missed those hands caressing her body lovingly. She looked up and focused on his blue eyes. There was something there, some deep emotion that she couldn't read. She figured if she wanted him to open up, she would have to open up herself.

"I meant what I said," she started. "I love you, that hasn't changed."

"So what has changed?" he asked, feeling fear creep into his heart. Maybe her love for him had changed. Maybe she didn't want him anymore.

"I think you have," she mumbled, never taking her eyes off him. She wanted him to admit it.

At first he wasn't sure if he understood. He shook his head, but then considered it and nodded. He stroked her hair softly, knotting his fingers in the damp strands. Her expression was open, waiting and willing to listen to anything and everything he had to say. With love.

"You changed me," he confessed. "When I thought I might lose you again tonight, I almost lost it. I'm so sorry you were hurt. Can you forgive me?"

"Yes. You didn't mean to hurt me, Eric. I understand."

"I love you, Sookie," he blurted out, the words escaping like they needed to be said.

Sookie shifted, getting as close to him as she could. "Kiss me," she said, threading her arms around him.

Her words filled him with new purpose. Eric brought her body close, hugging her tight, feeling her warmth through the blankets, and then he sought her lips. They were soft against his, as he realized what kind of kiss this was. It wasn't like the first kiss they had shared, full of raw emotion. This kiss was full of her love for him. He returned it just as softly, enjoying the feeling that told him they belonged together.

Sookie's body warmed as she remembered their lovemaking. The kiss intensified, her hands searching for his bare skin. Slowly she tugged at his shirt, finding the soft skin of his back and running her fingers over it. She loved the soft moan that escaped him as soon as she touched him. She loved how his hands went in search of her own skin and found it under the covers. Her breath caught and her heart sped up in response to his fingers on her thigh.

His tongue tasted her, plunging inside her mouth looking for hers. Sookie gave in. It was no use denying herself what she wanted. She tried to reason that if Russell Edgington was looking for her, she might not have long to live. Why waste even a second not giving in to the love she felt for Eric? It was obvious he loved her the right way. Aside from touching her thigh under the covers, he hadn't made another move and was waiting for her to pick the next action.

Sookie took a deep breath, taking in Eric's scent as she continued kissing and tasting him. They had kissed for so long while making love, and she still couldn't get enough.

"Kiss me, Eric," she said against his lips.

He pulled away a little and looked at her confused. "I am kissing you," and to prove it he kissed her lips again.

"No. Kiss me everywhere," Sookie said, pushing the blankets off her with her legs, since her hands were occupied touching Eric's skin under his shirt.

Without a word Eric moved his kisses to her neck, ignoring his hunger for her blood as he trailed kisses down to her chest. Sookie surprised him by taking off her nightgown, revealing she had been wearing nothing underneath it but a pair of cotton panties. Immediately he descended onto a breast, kissing and licking it, making Sookie writhe and moan. She took off his shirt too, trying to feel more of him. Her skin was getting hotter, and it felt like lightning wherever it touched his. Her honey smell seemed to envelop him as if he was already inside her.

"I want you Eric," Sookie gasped as she felt his fingers trace the outline of her panties.

"I want you too, Sookie," he said, half mad with desire. He was breathing harder only to take in her scent.

Eric knelt on the bed, helping Sookie take off the last barrier between him and her sex. As soon as he unbuttoned his dark jeans, his cell phone rang. He bit his tongue to avoid yelling all manner of curses, and quickly glanced at the caller ID. It was Bill.

"It's Bill, isn't it?" Sookie said from the top of the bed, disappointment laced into her tone of voice.

"Yes it is. Damn it." Eric slammed the phone against the mattress before answering. He listened to Bill while idly running his fingers over Sookie's naked belly… the belly that was supposed to be rubbing against his at that very moment.

"Fine," Eric said into the phone. "I'll be there in a few minutes."

Sookie pouted briefly, but already understood. "You have to go kick some ass, huh?"

"Something like that," he answered and got closer. He planted a few soft kisses on Sookie's tanned belly. "I promise to make it up to you." Eric reached for her panties and nightgown, and helped her dress again, if only to run his hands over her body again.

"I know you'll make it up to me, but dealing with Russell is more important," she said, giving him a wan smile. He didn't want him to feel bad about doing his job; besides, it was for her own safety.

"I'll come back tonight and spend the day downstairs. I'll try to come see you, if that's okay." Eric tucked her back under the covers, wishing it could be only them for one peaceful night.

"It would set my mind at ease to know everything went well, so go ahead and wake me up as soon as you get back." Sookie caressed his face lovingly, saying a silent prayer asking for Eric to indeed come back to her.

Eric departed after planting one last kiss on her lips. Bill said he had a plan. It had better be a good one.

**TBC**

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><p><strong>AN: I barely ever ask for reviews because y'all are so very generous and send them my way regardless… but could you feed my muse with some awesome reviews? I always get some really great ideas while reading them, and I've been running near empty lately. Hopefully that matter will be resolved when I offer my muse some Thanksgiving dinner in a couple of weeks. She's a sucker for sweet potato casserole… :-D**


	7. Study Partners

**A/N: ***knock-knock* Is there anybody still there? This story took an unexpected two-month hiatus, it seems. I'm going to blame my fickle muse for some of it. The bitch. Eventually she decided to give me something good to work with… after eating two pounds of See's Candy! Not all at once, of course. She waited patiently until I finished the box to make her appearance, and yes: I shared.

Anyhoo… I made a mistake and forgot something rather important: Steve Newlin is a vampire now! I spaced on that one. I will rectify it now even though it changes the original timeline a little. Just go with it.

This chapter also updated on my blog with a picture! "Nothing's Gonna Change My World" updates only on the blog, although that story also took a short hiatus and is now finally updating again (I make it sound like it's doing it all on its own!). Visit my blog at rebelina11(dot)com.

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><p><strong>Chapter 7 – Study Partners<strong>

Sookie woke up breathing raggedly, covered in sweat and tears, and shaking. She also felt like she was being held against a hard body. It took her a few moments of lucidity to realize that the nightmare she'd had was over and that she wasn't the one shaking: Eric was, at the same time that he held her tight against him.

"I had a nightmare," she announced trying her best to not sound breathless. She blinked a couple of times, finally gathering her bearings. She was safe and sound, in her bedroom, in her house.

Just a few moments ago she had been in a strange apartment, alone, and some faceless man had chased her, caught her, and stabbed her numerous times. She had felt each stabbing wound as the man plunged the knife all over her body, sparing nothing, not even her face. She had felt the man's hands holding her down as she struggled. She had felt the final despair as she was tossed onto the floor like a rag doll left for dead. Her screaming hadn't brought any help. Sookie remembered lying in a pool of her own blood, her life slowly seeping away, her terror blunted by the fact that she couldn't scream anymore. She cried and cried and no one came. Sookie took a deep breath to help her clear her mind of the gruesome images.

"We felt your fear," Eric said and took a deep breath himself.

"We?" Sookie asked, not quite awake yet to understand how deeply tied she still was to Bill as well as Eric. Eric didn't speak and after a few moments she understood what he meant. She also knew better than to bring up past grievances, but at that very moment she simply didn't give a hoot. "You left me alone in the graveyard the night we fought the witches, and I was shot; Bill had yet another chance to force his blood into my body. I wish it had been you, but you went all crazy vampire on those witches…"

"I was cursed," Eric interjected.

"That's no excuse." Sookie was tired and not really in the mood for a fight, even though she'd been the one to introduce the touchy subject. "All I'm saying is that for a while you'll have to deal with the fact that Bill is still a part of me. I hate it, you hate it, and he LOVES it. Either you let it go and stop letting it affect you, or you know where the door is."

Eric had nothing else to say about the subject, or else he was wisely keeping his thoughts to himself. At some point during their brief conversation he'd stopped shaking and was now not only silent, but also very still. Had he been shaking in fear? That was a strange thought if it was true.

"Are you okay?" Sookie asked, worried for Eric. She herself was feeling infinitely better. It was the first time in a very long time that someone cared enough to check on her after she'd had a nightmare. Eric's embrace, just that simple gesture, kept her from reliving the frightful episode. It meant even more to her that he was willing to be so sweet now that his memories were back and he was himself again.

"I thought something very bad was happening to you. I almost lost you once tonight and I was scared of a repeat. Your fear and agony were above and beyond what I experienced earlier from you," he tried to explain. In truth it was the first time he'd lived through someone else's nightmare. Bill had felt Sookie's fear and had reacted, but only Eric had panicked, although it wasn't something he'd shown to the younger vampire. Memories of seeing Sookie at death's door several times invaded his mind and this time he couldn't shake them enough to calm down. He thought, perhaps, it was due to the increased amount of his blood in her body. They were connected in a way he'd never experienced with a human before, not to mention the amount of love he felt for her. It was scary and disarming. At the same time he knew that the way he'd treated Sookie before – keeping her at arms' length so that he didn't have to admit how much he truly felt – hadn't worked and had actually harmed his love.

Turning within his arms, Sookie looked up at Eric's worried expression. "I think what happened tonight made me have the nightmare. Was Bill able to get any help with the Russell thing?"

"No," Eric answered immediately and sneered. "I think he only made matters worse for us with the Authority, but I do have another means of getting help." He laid a gentle kiss on her furrowed brow before continuing. "Let me worry about this. Your life is full already and all you have to do is keep yourself safe."

"How am I supposed to go to school now? I go to school at night…"

"I'm coming with you, remember? I'm still your lab partner," he said and gave her a wide smile.

"So… what? You're gonna be with me every single night until we can get rid of Russell?" Sookie shook her head.

"If that's what it takes. Russell is my fault…"

"Oh, no, don't start with that. Russell is nuts!"

Eric smiled at Sookie's flippant yet accurate description of the three-thousand-year-old asshole. "He's spent a long time on Earth and is very set in his ways. If you think an old man can be cantankerous and stubborn, you obviously haven't met an old vampire."

"Does the same apply to you?" she asked without missing a beat and got her ribs tickled for the jab.

When Sookie's giggles subsided and all was silent once more in her bedroom, it gave Eric a chance to marvel once more at the lovely creature in his arms. How could this tiny human affect him so much that even making her laugh felt like an honor? She was just a simple girl from a simple town. Even with her fairy blood, it was obvious he loved more than just the blood. The feisty girl that could be incredibly sweet now had him in her thrall.

In a way he could understand Bill's fascination, but he still couldn't understand why Bill hadn't truly fallen in love with Sookie. That fact alone made Eric more irate than if Bill had loved her and then fallen out of love. In order to procure Sookie for Sophie-Anne, Bill had preyed upon the innocence of the girl when it came to relationships.

"I made a mistake," Eric said out loud, giving voice to his thoughts.

Sookie put her head on his shoulder. "Care to be more specific?"

"I should have tried to woo you the right way when I first met you. I shouldn't have tricked you to drink my blood. I just wanted you so badly that I became what I hate the most: a liar."

"You didn't lie," Sookie offered. "You omitted the truth, which seems to be a vampire trait."

"No, no Sookie, it isn't. I won't lie to you ever again, or omit the truth. It wasn't fair of me, and I can only say that, in my defense, I didn't know what to do with what I was feeling for you. It took me getting cursed, going back to a simpler time in my mind, so that I could see what I'd done to you and to understand myself. Can you ever forgive me?" he asked, cupping Sookie's chin so she would look at him.

"Since you asked so nicely, I forgive you," she smiled and welcomed his soft kiss on her lips.

"Always too good for me, my Sookie," Eric whispered and let her get comfortable so she could fall asleep. This time he would guard her dreams.

X x X x X x X x X

Watching Eric do homework was bordering on comic relief. Sookie had to admit he had beautiful and elegant handwriting, and the small circles he made to represent the atoms and electrons in a molecule were perfectly round… but his facial expressions were nothing if not funny as hell. Once in a while he would stick his tongue out just a tiny bit, frown thoughtfully, and start to do math hunched over Sookie's kitchen table. He was so big that the pencil looked like it might break in his hand, but obviously it never did break: Eric wasn't ever clumsy.

They studied in silence for about an hour until Lafayette returned home from work. Sookie had yet to tell him about Eric, and figured it might go better if Lafayette could see with his own eyes that Eric wasn't going to do anything bad to him.

It was too much to hope for.

"What the fuck?" were Lafayette's first words as he came in through the front door, right before he cowered against the door frame to the kitchen.

"Nice to see you again, Lafayette," Eric piped up with a wide smile, making matters worse. Lafayette's thoughts were thrown into chaos. He equated Eric's smiles with the tears of a crocodile.

Sookie put her hand on Eric's hoping he would stop with all the smiling. "Eric and I had a study date," she said, sounding stupid even to herself.

"A st-! Study date!" bellowed Lafayette, not quite believing his ears. He started shaking his head. "I don't need this, Sookie. I really don't."

"I'll make this easy for you Lafayette," Eric began. "You keep your nose clean and help by watching over Sookie, and I won't have any reason to harm you in any way. Deal?"

"No deal, motherfucker. I'm out," Lafayette said and went right back out the door. Eric could hear Lafayette's car trying to find purchase on the gravel driveway as he gunned the engine and hightailed it.

"I'll talk to him later. He needs to calm down," Sookie said and shrugged.

"Perhaps it is better if Lafayette moved back to his house. I would not want him to revert back to his bad habits while he's living here."

Sookie sighed. Eric was partly right, even though Lafayette's thoughts had been pretty innocent lately. She didn't want to argue with either Eric or Lafayette. She just wanted peace and it was already in short supply what with the Russell thing.

"How's Pam dealing with her curse? Did it lift when Marnie died?" Sookie asked, trying to seek peace some other way.

Eric made a face of disgust before he answered. "Pam still needs these injections that Dr. Ludwig gave her. She's still rotting from the inside, but it's slowed down some."

"Do you think I can zap her and lift the curse like I did to you?" Sookie ventured to ask. She barely had any control over the blue light that came from her hands, but was willing to give it a try if it would make Pam hate her less.

"It's worth a try. It certainly won't hurt. But I thought your control over the light was… not all that great," Eric chose his words carefully. Sookie's control over the light was tenuous at best. She only seemed to be able to conjure it up during times of great duress, and even then it wasn't guaranteed.

"Just tell her to make me mad and I'll zap her," Sookie laughed making Eric laugh along with her.

The laughter subsided as quickly as it began when Eric disappeared from the kitchen table in the blink of an eye. The only clue as to where he had gone was the sound of the porch door swinging shut. Sookie made a run for it and stopped short of leaving the house, glancing through the door to see Eric facing another vampire who was holding Jason by the neck. Her heart sank to her stomach when she realized the other vampire was none other than Steve Newlin.

"Give me Sookie or I drain this one," Newlin said, shaking a blank-faced Jason. He had obviously been glamoured.

"Drain him," Eric countered, making Sookie gasp behind him. She was about to set foot outside the porch when Eric turned to stop her with a pleading look. "You don't know where Russell is," he growled, trying to convey in just a few words the fact that Russell could simply snatch her the moment she left the safety of her house. He hadn't smelled or heard Russell nearby, but that meant very little.

"I wonder if his blood will allow me to walk in the sun," Newlin teased, bringing the attention back to himself.

Jason was in a precarious position. Newlin's fingers only needed to exert a small amount of pressure to break the man's neck. Eric was weighing his options when he smelled a second vampire nearby. He wondered just how acute Newlin's new vampire senses were and whether he was able to detect who was coming at him.

In a move reminiscent of the one Eric had to perform the night before to save Sookie from Russell, Jessica used her vampire speed to steal Jason from Newlin's grip, overtaking the younger vampire before he'd even had a chance to register she had been nearby. Newlin's frustration was evident, but he didn't stick around long enough to find out what Eric would do to him next. Newlin disappeared into the night without either of his intended prey.

"Was that who I think it was?" Jessica asked, helping Jason up the porch steps. Physically he was okay, but his mind was still lost to Newlin's glamour.

"Who the hell turned Steve Newlin? I don't know if I should laugh or be shocked," Sookie said, trying to see if she could dig into Jason's mind with her own, finding absolutely nothing but a blank.

"I suspect it was Russell Edgington, since Newlin seemed to know about your blood and the only vampires that know that are Russell, Bill, Pam and I," Eric said, grabbing Jason by the shoulders and lifting the glamour in the blink of an eye.

"I knew it too," Jessica mumbled, watching as Jason came back online.

"Yes, but you're not evil," Sookie said, watching Jessica watching Jason. The girl might not have been in love with her brother, but there was a lot of concern for him.

"I can't believe it," Jason said, looking around and taking in his companions. "I thought Steve Newlin hated vampires," he said, letting Jessica help him settle on a chair.

"He does," Eric said at the same time that he texted on his phone at vampire speed. The message reached its destination and a moment later he received a response.

"Now what?" Sookie asked, knowing that Eric was spreading the news about Newlin to people that might find it interesting.

"Now we wait for the cavalry to arrive," Eric said glancing at his phone. His contact was the last resort, but it would help to have someone from the Authority on his side now that things were decidedly out of hand.

**TBC**

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><p><strong>AN: So who is this mysterious person that Eric is contacting as a last resort? Anybody want to make a guess? And how did Bill make things worse? Who did HE contact over at the Authority? Did Russell really turn Newlin, or is there somebody else around who knows what Sookie's blood can do? Dun-dun-dun!**


	8. Makers and Children

**Special Author's Note to Alan Ball: Mr. Ball, I take no issue if you wanna go ahead and borrow from this fanfic, none at all. Since it's not copyright-able, it's all yours. Do with it what you will, just don't fuck up True Blood anymore. Thank you!**

A/N: Call me the Queen of Sap. Go ahead, I won't mind. I made Bill look a little bit better than he should, but remember y'all that I said I wasn't going to kill him because Jessica needs him. One thing is for sure, for all of you Bill-haters like me: I won't ever, never, like absolutely NOT allow Sookie to go back to him. NE-VER! So calm down. However, if I want Alan Ball to take this fanfic seriously, I need to make Bill look like the True Blood audience is used to seeing him… more or less. And I WANT Alan Ball to read this, remember?

Thank you all for reading, reviewing, alerting and making this story one of your favorites. It really means a lot to me: all that LOVE! Viking hugs and kisses to all!

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><p><strong>Chapter 8 – Makers and Children<strong>

Pam appeared in front of Sookie's house, stealthy as a cat, but still unable to surprise her maker. Eric was sitting on the porch swing, leafing through a book after carefully reading each page… at vampire speed. It was late, nearly four in the morning, and Pam wondered what had kept her maker from joining Sookie in her bedroom. Hadn't they gone to "school" that night?

"Are you studying?" Pam asked, climbing the porch steps and sitting next to Eric.

"In a manner of speaking," Eric answered, never taking his eyes off the thick volume on his lap. He was a man on a mission.

Pam leaned over enough to read the very top of one page. "Shakespeare sonnets? I thought you were studying chemistry tonight?" she asked perplexed. Ever since Eric's memory had returned she had found him doing more and more bizarre things. Going back to college had been one. Forgiving Sookie had been another. And now he was studying sonnets? What was the world coming to?

"We did go to class tonight, but I realize that Sookie needs more from me. She deserves better. Therefore the book," Eric answered and sighed.

Pam frowned at Eric's lovesick-puppy expression but couldn't contain a small exasperated breath of her own. "Sookie deserves better, you say. Better than you? There is no better, and she should know that. I hope she's not comparing you to our King," she said with derision.

"She's not one to make comparisons. But she does deserve the best of me, what she saw and experienced when I lost all my memories. That is the part of me she deserves. I don't know how to be that man again, not entirely."

Pam swallowed a snort, taking in Eric's obvious distress and wanting to help, if only for his sake. "I know Sookie is not looking for this," she said pointing at the book. "She cares for you, and this book was written by another man. Besides, I'm pretty sure that, even though she grew up here in this podunk town, she knows enough Shakespeare that you won't be able to get away with using his words as your own."

"That wasn't my intention," said Eric rolling his eyes. "I have never needed to be romantic and I need to learn."

"Just buy her something," said Pam dismissively.

"And be like Bill?"

That question effectively made Pam shut up. Eric had a very valid point. The horrible dresses, and jewelry, and the way Bill had made Sookie dress up like a doll bordered on the ridiculous. Even Pam, who liked the finer things, knew that Sookie was her own woman with her own style and that a man had no right to change her no matter what silly outfits she chose to wear for herself. Plus, gifts would get a man only so far. The rest was up to the man.

"Alright, you're right," Pam conceded. "I saw you be so different for the very first time in my life. That's part of who you are, isn't it? When you lost your memories, you didn't lose your true personality, did you?"

"No, I didn't. I lost the things that have made me vicious. I went back in time to when things were simpler in my life, when the worst thing I'd ever done was that I did not heed my father's wishes and marry. I wanted to love my wife the way my father loved my mother, and I hadn't found someone like that."

"Eric, I hardly know what to say to make this better," Pam said in a tiny whisper, knowing her maker was suffering. "Does Sookie not love you?"

"She says she does, but I'm afraid I might lose her."

"What makes you think that?"

"Herveaux was here earlier today. I'm sure he's been trying to have Sookie now that his bitch is dead."

"I don't trust that Were."

"I don't either, and now less than ever. After all, it was Sookie the one that killed Herveaux's mate. Sookie, of course, doesn't see the threat. He does have what it takes to talk her out of a relationship with me. And now he's the new packmaster in Shreveport."

"Perhaps I don't know Sookie as well as you do, but I never thought she would be lured by power. Otherwise she would have gone back to Bill in a heartbeat, or would have dumped him in the very beginning to be with you."

Silence descended upon maker and child as they contemplated Eric's self-imposed dilemma.

"Give her the house back," Pam said out of the blue.

"Yes, already thought of that and I'll be working on it soon. Sookie will just see it as a handout. Today she mentioned the rent she thinks she owes me," Eric said, feeling all hope drain from his heart.

"Okay… so don't give her things, give her experiences. What does she like to do?" asked Pam, reaching for straws.

Eric blinked, thinking. "I honestly have no idea."

"Well, that's pretty simple to figure out: glamour her brother and ask him. I could do it for you."

"Even if we did, do you really think that her brother is the best source to find out more information about Sookie?"

Pam thought for a moment. "He appears to be self-centered at best," she paused. "Ask Jessica. She talks to Sookie and they used to work together. Maybe she will know."

Eric didn't hesitate and sent a quick text message for Jessica to meet him the next night. If she could shed some light on how Sookie worked, he'd put up with the baby vamp once more.

"Let me ask you something," Pam began, watching Eric fire off a text message to the obnoxious progeny of Bill Compton. "Before you lost your memories, what were your thoughts on Sookie? What made you buy her house and fix it when everyone thought she was dead and gone?"

Eric looked up from his phone, unwilling or unable to answer. He locked eyes with Pam who waited patiently for his answer.

"You don't have to tell me, Eric. I can feel you, remember? Why don't you tell her?" she asked and pointed over her shoulder at the house.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jessica stared at her phone with open curiosity. Eric had never reached out to her on purpose. She was quick to send a question back, asking what he wanted. She would not meet with him simply because he ordered her to. Sure, Eric was the sheriff of the area where she lived, but her maker Bill was the king, and that gave her certain advantages.

The response she got back from Eric was not to be believed: "I need help with Sookie," he had texted.

She blinked in shock. Why would Eric, of all people, need help with Sookie? The only kind of help Jessica could imagine Eric would ask of her would be of the dating kind. Bill had mentioned something about Eric and Sookie being together, but maybe things between the two weren't going as well as everybody thought.

Either way, it was decision time: help Eric's conquest of Sookie and forget about Bill's yearning, or honor Sookie's wishes and help her forget Bill in favor of Eric? Jessica wasn't blind. She knew well that Bill had hurt Sookie beyond what she could tolerate or forgive. After her own break-up with Hoyt, she saw things much more clearly. Sometimes, no matter how much people loved each other, it simply wasn't enough to help the relationship continue. And was Bill truly in love with Sookie, or merely obsessed? Jessica loved her maker, but an unhealthy relationship like the one he'd had with Sookie needed to stay broken.

Jessica entered Bill's office where he was wrapping up the kingdom's business for the night. "Can I ask you something personal?" she said and plopped on a chair.

"Of course, though I may not answer," Bill said and smiled at his child. He could feel her apprehension, and more than likely would answer her question honestly.

"It's about Sookie," Jessica said, watching as Bill's smile faded at the same time that he averted his eyes. Obviously the subject was still a source of pain. "Why did she break up with you, exactly?"

"Ah…" Bill began, understanding the question and knowing it was time to come clean with his progeny. Besides, he didn't want Jessica to repeat the mistakes he'd made. "I was Sophie-Anne's procurer, as you know, and I was sent here to Bon Temps to procure Sookie for her. I deliberately misled Sookie, and she couldn't forgive me once the truth came to light."

"How did the truth 'come to light'?" Jessica asked, framing the words with quotation marks in the air.

"Eric told her."

"That was mean of him."

"It was right of him," Bill corrected. "Sookie did need to know, and to his credit, Eric didn't say anything to Sookie until I betrayed him."

Jessica shook her head in disbelief. "I still don't understand how you and Eric can still get along after everything you've done to each other."

"It's a truce of convenience, for now. We're both in trouble with the Authority, and until we resolve this problem we need each other to cover our backs. I have my position as king; he has insider knowledge from sources he trusts. In this way we make sure to safeguard not only ourselves, but also those we care about," Bill said, walking around his desk and tweaking Jessica's nose.

"Do you love her?" Jessica asked without any more preambles. "Are you still in love with her?"

Bill leaned against his desk and studied his child for a moment, trying to frame his answer. But what was his answer? Did he still love Sookie? Had he ever loved her? The answer was yes, of course. Was he in love with Sookie, or in lust with Sookie's blood?

"I don't know," he answered sincerely for the first time. "Her blood is like ambrosia, and she is a beautiful woman, but I don't know if I was ever in love with her. I love her enough to want to do right by her after all the wrong."

"So you're not mad that she's with Eric now?" Jessica asked, trying to tread carefully. Sookie had been nice to her, and Jason was Sookie's brother… plus Sookie had saved Bill from sure death at the hands of Marnie when she'd taken over Lafayette's body. Jessica felt like she owed Sookie some measure of happiness, even if it was with Bill's enemy.

"I'm disappointed that she's with Eric, but not mad. I didn't know Eric's true nature, and neither did Sookie, not until he was cursed. If he could be less like the sheriff and more like what she needs, then she should be happy with him. Why are you asking this?" Bill asked, studying Jessica.

"I just wanted to see how you were coping, what with having Sookie back from wherever she went, and now she's with someone else… and I don't know. Hoyt was my very first boyfriend ever, and I feel a little lost about relationships. Now I feel attracted to Jason, but I don't want to make the same mistake I made with Hoyt," Jessica said, approaching whiny and she knew it, so she cut herself off.

"I may not be the best one to give you advice about relationships, but I meant it when I said you should simply tell the truth. I learned that the hard way myself. I could have had a meaningful relationship with Sookie, but… alas, it was not to be, and it was my fault." Bill looked down, folding and unfolding his hands and silently saying goodbye one last time.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sookie woke up with the feeling that there had been somebody in her room, but when she opened her eyes her room was empty. It wasn't creepy to think that Eric might have watched her sleep, and that was a revelation. Besides, he was still in the house, ever since he had decided to spend his days in the cubby. She didn't mind. She found it a comfort.

It was still very early, past dawn but just by a few minutes. She still had plenty of time to get ready to go to work. She could even go to back to sleep for a couple more hours, but something stopped her. As soon as she turned her body, she saw it.

On Sookie's night table was a simple vase that had belonged to her grandmother, and old one that had been given to a Stackhouse bride many years before. In it were wild flowers: a few purple asters framing a beautiful orange daylily. Right in front of the vase was an envelope with her name written in Eric's neat hand. Sookie smiled widely, unable to contain her joy at such a simple yet thoughtful gesture: the vase had been inside a cupboard in the kitchen, one that had remained there because Eric made it so. The flowers had to have been picked by hand from the surrounding area. The note… what could Eric tell her that she didn't know already?

It was true that the night before she had acted distant towards Eric. Alcide's visit the morning before had left her thinking about everything she could lose by being in a relationship with another vampire. But Eric had shown patience and had let her remain alone with her thoughts, never pushing and never asking. It was one of the best things about him and had always been his strength: patience. Now, knowing that she had been in that introverted, thoughtful mood, he had simply left her flowers. It was a message that he was still there, and that he still cared.

Her heart warmed and sped up as she sat up in bed and reached for the note. The last time Eric had written something specifically for her, it hadn't been exactly romantic. A note on a new porch door and on a new microwave wasn't something that would set any girl's heart aflutter. But this time it was different: flowers and a note. This time it meant something.

**TBC**

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><p><strong>AN: What did Eric write? I'm just a sucker for romance. I hope that didn't come as a surprise to anybody reading this… This chapter also updated on my blog: rebelina11(dot)com. Don't forget that "Nothing's Gonna Change My World" updates ONLY on the blog. Thanks, darling readers! On to the next quickly so we can find out what Eric is up to…**


	9. A Lover's Letter

**A/N: **The Queen of Sap strikes again. Eric is being a little OOC, but I figured after he got his memories back, he changed towards Sookie, even admitting that he loved her for the first time ever (although we ALL knew it ALL along). And if I don't change him, then we have the same ol' BS we already get from True Blood. Gotta change it if I'm gonna fix it.

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><p><strong>Chapter 9 – A Lover's Letter<strong>

_Her heart warmed and sped up as she sat up in bed and reached for the note. The last time Eric had written something specifically for her, it hadn't been exactly romantic. A note on a new porch door and on a new microwave wasn't something that would set any girl's heart aflutter. But this time it was different: flowers and a note. This time it meant something._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

My Dearest Sookie:

I realize you deserve a letter from the hand of a poet, but I humbly ask that you accept this letter from the hand of a warrior instead. I have been very confused for very long, and it was almost comedic how that witch made me face my confusion in a way that left me open to finally realize and understand what I need and what I want. What I need is you. What I want is to make you happy.

I must confess that the moment I first saw you is embedded in my memory as the start of all this confusion, but please know that it wasn't your fault. It was mine; it was all mine. You are so beautiful, and all I could do that first time I saw you was lust after you. There was no regard for the wonderful person you are, and perhaps it had to do with how world-weary I have become. I have been on this earth for so long; I have taken so much to satisfy my hungers; I have fought and won so many battles; but everything is just more of the same, over and over, the same struggle with different people. Maybe I am jaded. I know that my past behavior hurt you, and you say you have forgiven me, but once again I must ask for your forgiveness for all the wrongs I've caused you from the moment I first saw you.

I don't think I ever thanked you properly for staying with my maker during his last moments. I could feel my heart breaking at the same time that he left this world, and the only comfort I had was that I knew you had remained by his side. You were the only one, the only human, I would have ever trusted to keep her word. Godric wasn't alone because you would not leave, and for that I am deeply grateful. That morning, only one of two things would have stopped my grief: my maker returning, or you visiting me and comforting me. I settled for a daydream of you. I wished with all my might that you would come, and my mind conjured up the beautiful dream. You, my Sookie, you came to me and kissed my tears. You stayed beside me too, like you had stayed beside Godric. I so wanted to kiss you then, so, so much.

Daydreaming about you became like a hobby for me. I even imagined it was me who came to comfort you when Bill left you. I wished you could read my mind so that I could share my memories with you, the memories of my land and my past when it used to be peaceful. I have kissed you so many times, and shared so many things with you already, all in my mind. I realize it isn't fair. You should be part of my reality, not my dreams. I should share all these things with words and deeds instead of hoping that you can read my mind.

Again I ask you to forgive me for being the catalyst during your break-up with Bill. It was petty of me to tell you the truth about him in the way that I did, and I know I could have been more tactful. That night I was so angry at him, that I wanted to see him suffer, not you. Never you, my Sookie.

Afterwards, when you disappeared, I thought the worst. I imagined you had taken your life, and I searched for you every night. Every single night I found myself back in the cemetery following your scent where it ended, driven mad by despair and missing you, missing someone that had never been mine to begin with. I could not understand it. I hid it from Pam, fearing I had lost my mind. Eventually I understood why: I was in love with you. I AM in love with you. I love you more now than ever before, and I will love you more tomorrow than I do today.

Thinking I had lost you forever, yet hoping for the best, I bought your house from your brother and restored it. If you returned, it would be ready for you. If you were lost to me forever, at least I had this one reminder, one last piece. I had nothing left of my maker, but I could have something of yours.

I cannot express in words how I felt when I realized you had returned. I had to see you. I wished to hold you. I made a mistake, like the many others I've made regarding you. I did not mean to scare you, but my instincts of over one thousand years took over. I wanted you to be mine and took advantage of your vulnerability. Once again, please forgive me. I showed more arrogance than I felt, and I should have been honest and told you everything from the beginning: that I had purchased your house to give it back to you; that you are the only one I ever think of; that more than wanting you to be mine, I wish that you would accept me as yours.

I beg you to please understand that I am not with you for your blood. I _would_ like to feed exclusively from you, because the thought of feeding from someone else is repulsive, but I am willing to give up your blood forever to prove to you my sincere love. I will not give you my blood either, if you do not want it. Simply know that I wish to be yours, however you accept me. Would you like to continue being friends? I will not push you to become lovers. However, I will tell you that my own sincere wish is to love you fully, like we loved each other under the moon. I cannot forget the feel of your body against mine, how you took me inside you and made me yours. Nothing can compare with your kisses, not even the ones I imagined you gave me.

I love you, Sookie, more than I ever thought I could love another that wasn't my child. If you take nothing else from this letter, please take that to heart. I want you to be happy. I want to make you happy. Please give me the chance.

Completely yours,

Eric

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Sam?"

"Sookie? Are you okay? You sound like you're crying…" Sam said after he answered the phone.

"It's just… my stomach is acting up really bad. I can't make it to work. I'm so sorry," Sookie lied. Her stomach was just fine. Her heart, however, had been jolted but good.

"No problem, Sookie. Do you need help? Do you have any food or drink?" asked Sam with worry in his voice.

"I'll be fine, but I have to go. Thanks, Sam," Sookie said and hung up.

Slowly she got up from bed and took a few deep breaths. Somehow she needed to calm down after the shock of reading the letter that Eric had written. Just the fact that he'd opened his heart wide open was enough to have her bawling for a good half hour, reading the letter over and over, before she gathered enough of her wits to call in sick. With shaky feet she made her way to the bathroom and took a quick shower, if only to calm her and give her some time to collect herself.

Eric's words, written in his elegant and flawless handwriting, floated through her mind like so many promises. A love letter… how many women got love letters anymore? None that she knew. What was more, Eric had been more than sweet. How had she not known what Eric had been feeling all this time? How had he hidden it all from her? This was much more than what they had shared while he'd lost his memories. The overwhelming urge to go into his cubby and spend the rest of the day with him was making it hard for Sookie to even get dressed.

Sookie stopped halfway down the stairs and thought about what she was about to do. She felt like a weak romantic, for one, giving in to her own promise to herself to take some time to be alone. On the other hand, why deny what her heart was yearning for? Sure, Gran had told her that being alone wasn't that bad, but Sookie had been alone for many years before meeting Bill. Did she feel like being alone again, particularly when she loved Eric so much, and he loved her back just as deeply? It made no sense to withdraw now.

"I almost had sex with him the other night," she reasoned out loud, her voice echoing faintly from the walls inside the empty house. Except…it wasn't empty.

She made her way down into the cubby slowly in the dark, locked it from the inside, and waited for the lights to magically turn on when she set foot at the bottom. Eric was sleeping fully clothed, ready for anything, on his back. He looked mostly dead, which was a scary thought that Sookie quickly banished.

Slowly, almost shuffling her feet, she made her way to the bed and sat very carefully, staring. Somehow, Eric looked bigger than before. Maybe not bigger, but grander, more… He just looked like more: more man, more vampire.

Sookie leaned over and stared at his sleeping face. He didn't look as peaceful as she had imagined he would. He looked troubled, like he'd gone to sleep with a frown on his face. She brought her fingers to the junction of his eyebrows and smoothed the skin there, trying to soften the perceived frown. Her fingers then continued a slow path over his soft blond brow, then over his almost-invisible eyelashes.

"I love you too," she whispered, her voice trembling and tears forming fresh in her eyes. The contents of Eric's letter were still wreaking havoc with her emotions, and having him so close made her choke up again.

She wiped her tears quickly with the heel of her hand and took a few deep breaths. After all, she should be happy that the one she loved, loved her back. Something about how he had opened up his heart and the fact that she knew it had been difficult, made her see Eric in a new light. It also made her terribly sad that she had pushed him away just as he was discovering so much about himself.

Sookie lay next to him like she had done when he'd been chained. Thankfully this time he wasn't bleeding or in pain of any sort. He smelled faintly of cologne, and of his own unique scent, and she breathed deeply and delighted. She liked his body very much: his looks, his shoulders, his height, even his smell. The way they had made love, over and over, never lacking in passion and never tiring… She snuggled closer to Eric's cold body and closed her eyes, replaying their time together in her mind while her hand roamed over his chest.

"Sookie? Are you trying to feel me up?" Eric asked groggily, even though the smile was plain in his voice.

"No!" Sookie answered, smiling and rolling her eyes at the same time that Eric's arms wrapped around her and brought her as close as she could possibly get with clothes on.

Eric's tone turned more serious. "Are you okay?"

"I read your letter," she announced and silence descended over both. For a few tense moments Sookie could imagine that Eric was regretting the letter. "Thank you for telling me everything. I came to tell you that I love you too and that I want you to be mine."

Eric took a deep breath that lifted Sookie. He tended to do that a lot around her. "Thank you, Sookie," he said and squeezed her before planting a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Go back to sleep, honey. I didn't mean to wake you. I don't want you to get the bleeds."

"Because you don't want to clean them?" he asked, testing the waters.

"No, because the bleeds cannot possibly be healthy for you and they most certainly look like they're annoying at the very least. Are they painful?"

"Not really," Eric yawned. "But I will go back to sleep if that makes you happy."

"It will make me ecstatic," Sookie giggled, earning herself another squeeze.

It was easy for Sookie to spend the rest of the day next to Eric. She slept for a little bit, she rummaged through his books, all the while waiting patiently for night to arrive. She forgot to eat and forgot the outside world. Today she was all Eric's.

**TBC**


	10. The Boss

**A/N:** Hello, darling readers. I'm tired of apologizing for how slow this story is updating, and y'all already know why that is, so I'll just leave it alone and hope you can forgive me anyhow.

The character of Roman will be played by Chris Meloni (formerly of Law & Order SVU), who I think is a very handsome man and a great choice for a vampire. I'm adding my own theory as to why people call him Roman. If you want to read more about this character visit my blog (rebelina11-dot-com) where I'll have the links posted. Same goes for the character of Nora. We didn't know Roman's name until very recently, though. We knew he was the head honcho at the Authority, but that was all. Now we have a name! Yay! And thanks to me and my own bizarre theories, now we have TWO names!

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><p><strong>Chapter 10 – The Boss<strong>

Roman waited patiently for his second to arrive. He stared at a beautiful antique sword that hung in his study while his mind churned with worry. It was the first time ever that Nora had not come immediately when called and, far from irate, Roman was anxious. It wasn't like her. Her row house in the affluent part of Northwest DC was right next to his, and she had not been scheduled for any meetings that night as it was close to Thanksgiving, and Congress had already taken a recess.

"First it was Veterans' Day, now it's Thanksgiving. How do they get any work done?" Roman harrumphed. He, himself, was a veteran of so many wars that he'd lost count. The only one he'd taken part of as a human, had been one of the first Roman-Etruscan wars back in the fifth century BC, if his memory served. A quick work of math to determine his mortal age told him he'd been around for… "Two-thousand-seven-hundred and sixty-five years. Man, I'm getting old," he said to himself as he heard his front door open.

Nora's familiar scent preceded her as she walked into Roman's study. "You're not old, you're aged to perfection," she chimed with a smile. It was a forced smile and Roman picked up on it right away.

"What's wrong? You've been with me for too many years, and that smile means trouble my dear," he said, taking a seat on his burgundy leather chair. Nora's obvious apprehension did not lessen his anxiety.

Nora dropped the pretense. "It's not good news. Do you remember Russell Edgington?"

"Please tell me that the phrase 'good riddance' still applies," Roman whined and rubbed his temples, setting his elbows on his desk and bracing himself. The ancient vampire had always been trouble, even back in "the old country." Roman had vowed to keep away from Russell, and when he found himself in the same country as that nutcase, he knew it would only spell disaster at some point. Disaster came in the form of a dead news anchor on live TV.

"Hardly," was Nora's quick reply. She waited until her boss took a deep breath to continue. "He's been causing trouble in Louisiana, and he can raise the dead."

"Obviously, since he apparently raised himself from the true death," Roman pointed out.

"About that…"

"Yes?"

"Sheriff Northman of Louisiana's Area 5 had been charged with the true death of Edgington, but an attack against his life prevented him from carrying out the sentence," Nora said, twisting the events into something that would make more sense. She would have to ask Eric exactly why he hadn't killed the son of a bitch.

"Who tried to kill the sheriff?" Roman asked, sounding bored.

"His Majesty William T. Compton…" she paused and made a quick hand gesture, "before he was king."

"That fucking Compton is getting on my last nerve. Whatever did Nan ever see in him? He's one mess after another," Roman said, sitting back and lacing his fingers over his stomach. "The fact that Edgington is still around is Compton's fault. Let him take care of it. I'm tired of cleaning up his messes," he said matter-of-factly.

"He would, and he's tried, but Edgington, as I said, can raise the dead as well as being as old as you. Compton is barely two centuries old."

"Is Sheriff Northman helping?" Roman asked. He'd only met the sheriff a couple of times in the company of Nora, but knew that the Viking was a fighter. He was secretly glad that he'd been saved from the true death sentence that Nan had so expeditiously procured less than a month before, if only for Nora's sake.

"Sheriff Northman has tried to help as well, but he is only a millennium old. Edgington is a menace and they need help in Louisiana. All the sheriffs have been killed during the necromancer episode…"

"Let's not start that; I'm currently trying to forget it," Roman interrupted. "Isn't Northman your sibling?" he asked, knowing well Nora's true motives.

Nora became nervous, though she had many years of schooling herself in keeping calm and therefore didn't show anything but a cool exterior. "Yes, he is. Godric was his maker as well as mine," she said in a subdued voice, befitting someone who was still grieving the death of her maker. However, it wasn't so much grief that kept her voice in the lower registers: it was fear for her brother, the only connection she still had to Godric.

"Edgington can raise the dead, you say? As in zombies?" Roman waited until Nora nodded. "It is not to be believed. What am I supposed to tell the president? That one of his states is about to be invaded by rotting ambulatory corpses?"

"You can tell him we finally know what happened to Steve Newlin. Edgington changed him. I'm sorry, Roman," Nora said and looked down at her perfectly polished shoes.

"That is terribly interesting indeed," Roman took another deep breath. "It's not your fault, my dear. Do what you need to do, gather whatever help you need and go help your brother. Let me know when you're ready to go to Louisiana. Let's keep this as quiet as possible for now. But I will tell you this: at the end of this I want Compton gone. I think one year in office is enough to thank him for getting rid of LeClerq."

"Thank you for your understanding, Appius Livius Ocella," Nora said, bowing deeply in gratitude and using Roman's given name in a show of respect. Eric was safe, for now. She would do anything in her power to keep him that way.

"Please! Nora, darling! That name is as old as me!" Roman laughed. If there was anybody who could pull his strings, it was Nora.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sookie's deep, even breathing told Eric that she had fallen asleep next to him in his cubby. So much trust pulled at his heart and made it do something it had a propensity to do whenever Sookie was around: it made his heart soar. He smiled to himself and gathered her warm body closer, remembering how he'd woken up in the middle of the day. Her hand caressing his chest was better than any other intimate contact he could imagine except, perhaps, her hand caressing his naked flesh.

Immediately Eric felt his desire stir. Sookie was warm and smelled like heaven. He wondered briefly if they would make love that night, before Sookie's soft voice pulled him out of a reverie.

"Hey, good morning," she said in a sleepy giggle and threw a leg over his, getting that much closer.

"It's wonderful to wake up next to you. We should do it more often," he said, wondering at every one of her gestures.

"We should," she agreed, traveling up his body. A good morning kiss was in order. He looked down with wide blue eyes and a smile playing on the corner of his lips. It was obvious he was happy. She smiled widely and planted a soft kiss squarely on his mouth.

"More," Eric said and couldn't help his own broad smile. Sookie delivered another kiss. "More, please," he begged, bringing his fingers up to stroke her soft hair. She kissed him again, this time deepening the kiss for just one brief moment. When she pulled away, it was her who wanted more, and didn't wait for Eric's soft entreaty to kiss him fully and deeply.

The silence of the cubby was broken only by Sookie's soft breathy moans. Eric turned his body toward hers, enjoying how she was practically wrapped around him. He didn't expect to be pushed back and away. But the disappointment he felt lasted only a split second and was quickly replaced with a new kind of excitement when he realized she had climbed his body and was taking over.

"I'm in charge," Sookie said and smiled over him, stroking his chest over the gray T-shirt he was wearing. Eric smiled and let her take over with no complaints.

"You're the boss," he agreed, looking for her naked skin and finding it at her waist, where her shirt met her shorts. He caressed the sensitive spot, making her giggle. In that moment, nothing made him happier than having a smiling Sookie enjoying him in this way. It was his dream come true, with a twist he hadn't expected but liked very much. She wasn't the tempting seductress he had imagined, but the sweet woman that he truly wanted.

Sookie helped him take off his shirt, running her hands softly over his middle, her eyes following her hands over his body. She wasn't shy about what she wanted, and soon her shirt joined his on the floor. Eric tried to sit up when she fiddled with the back of her bra, but she pushed him back down onto the small bed. "Just watch me," she said, her voice giving away her nerves. Seeing the desire flash in Eric's eyes gave her a boost of confidence, and her bra flew to the floor soon thereafter.

"So beautiful," Eric whispered, his hands itching to touch the flushed pink skin of his lover. He caressed her legs at either side of him instead, and his patience was soon rewarded. Sookie reached for his hands and guided them to her breasts. Eric's eyes closed briefly as the soft flesh met his fingers, but opened again when Sookie's fingers found his own nipples and teased. His hips bucked under her body in an involuntary bid to get inside her, and his fangs lengthened in response to the scent of her arousal.

She leaned over him to claim his mouth once more, aware that his hands had drifted down her body to undo her shorts and his pants. Since that was the case, she took her time with the kiss, moving slowly from his lips to his neck, to his jaw then his cheeks, and down again. She gave his shoulders open-mouthed kisses as the rest of her clothes and his disappeared. Sookie knew that even though she'd said she was in charge, it was Eric who had ultimate control. She felt his fingers caress slowly over her center, and she couldn't stop her body from trembling at his touch.

Eric watched Sookie as she slowly brought her body up and centered it over his own. Her eyes never left his, and he could hear the faster pace of her heart and the deeper breaths she took, her fingers curling over his chest when she tried to find leverage. Her heart sped up more as she opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out.

"What's wrong, my Sookie?" Eric asked, propping his upper body up on his elbows.

Sookie shook her head and tried to smile. Her smile faded as she took a deep breath and gathered the courage she needed to ask for what she wanted. "Love me?"

Eric sat up fully and took Sookie's face in his hands. "Of course I love you. Don't ever doubt it for one second, and if you ever do, ask me to show you. I will prove my love to you over and over. Please, Sookie." Eric swallowed. His voice had gotten too loud too quickly. "Please," he whispered, "let me love you."

Sookie nodded and saw Eric's shoulders relax, like she'd taken a giant weight off them.

"I know I hurt you, and I am so sorry," he continued. "Never again, okay? Never, Sookie, I swear it."

"Okay," she said, feeling too many emotions to settle on just one right at that moment. As if reading her mind, Eric hugged her tight then laid them down on the bed facing each other.

"This is new to me, Sookie. It's something that you taught me. Making love doesn't have to mean sex."

"We made love so sweetly, you and me," she pointed out, remembering their shared dream when they'd made love in the enchanted wood. She propped her leg high on his hip, feeling his hard length against her core. Eric's blue eyes flashed with unmistakable desire, proving that under the sweet façade of the lover lay the seducer and sex god. He didn't act upon his baser instincts, which only went to prove that his words were sincere.

That was all the proof she needed. Reaching between them, she found him hard and ready, and guided him so she could take him inside herself. Eric's mouth slackened in response, giving him the look of someone enjoying the most ecstatic moment of his life. He moved his hips slowly as her heat enveloped him fully, the warmest liquid, the softest sheath.

Sookie's soft moan filled the small room as her body accepted the welcomed invasion. She tried her best not to close her eyes so she could keep looking at the face she loved. Eric never looked away either, their locked gazes connecting them in a way they had never experienced before. This was their true first time, what should have been but could have never been until Eric had been forced to find his true self, and Sookie had been forced to let go of the past.

For a long time they moved together, each discovering how it truly felt to love the other fully. Eventually their desire took over as their bodies started moving faster, seeking release, seeking to connect once again. Hands and limbs moved in synchronicity, mouths searching and finding naked skin. Sookie tasted Eric's skin before planting soft kisses on his neck, at the same time that Eric's nose found the vein under her arm. He would never bite without permission, but the heat of her body had made her blood that much sweeter to his sense of smell.

"Eric," Sookie said in a breath. "I want you to bite."

"No," he growled, feeling his hunger surge at her words. A younger vampire would not have even hesitated, and he was completely denying his nature altogether.

"Bite or I'll bite you," Sookie said, doing her best imitation of a growl against his neck. Somehow she knew he was hungry, and she would not have her lover feed on another. Never.

"No," Eric repeated and switched his focus from his hunger for blood to his desire and drive. Sookie's muscles tightened around him, giving him the first taste of ecstasy.

Without another word Sookie bared her teeth and bit Eric's neck. She succeeded in drawing the very smallest amount of blood, but even the tiny bit was enough to send Eric into a frenzy where two needs vied for equal attention.

It was impossible to deny Sookie now, in any way. He sunk his fangs in that tender spot on her arm, leaving her to draw the blood she wanted from his neck. Sookie's blood was sweeter than ever, tinged with arousal and even with his own blood. She cried in bliss as Eric's dual invasion took her over the edge. Eric's own sweet moment followed, made that much sweeter because he could feel Sookie's love inside him, now stronger than ever with this third healthy exchange of blood.

Their bodies settled and stilled, Sookie breathing hard but her heart finally calming, Eric licking the wounds he'd made on her arm and then sealing them with blood. No mark would ever mar her beautiful skin because of something he did. If there had been a way to feed without hurting her, he would have done it.

"I guess we skip class tonight?" he asked, running his hands slowly over her soft skin.

"Uh-huh," she agreed and snuggled closer to Eric. She took a deep breath, enjoying that she could smell his own unique scent that much stronger, even with the little bit of blood she had taken from him. This time the blood exchange had been her choice, a way to excite Eric and make him feed from her, and also a way to feel closer to him. By now she knew enough to understand that a blood exchange while she was healthy was not the same as when it was done while she was injured. Otherwise, she thought, she would be much more attached to Bill than she already was.

The peaceful silence of the cubby was interrupted by Eric's cell phone, which had been charging on his small nightstand. Without letting go of Sookie he reached for the offending object, if only to glance and make sure it wasn't an emergency. Unfortunately, when a king called, one had to answer.

"Yes?" was Eric's curt greeting. Just because he had to answer didn't mean it had to be in a courteous manner.

"Russell has struck again, or so we believe. There are several disturbed fresh graves around Shreveport and Monroe. Several news outfits picked up the story this morning," Bill said, wisely overlooking Eric's terseness in favor of his help.

"Why didn't your human staff inform you before now? Sookie could have been in danger!" Eric yelled into the phone. It was only by pure chance that Sookie had spent the whole day in the cubby with him, but Bill had no way of knowing that.

"They have already been reprimanded. I'm about to call the Authority…"

"Don't bother," Eric interrupted. "For once follow the advice of someone older and wiser, Compton! Get as many as you can that are willing and able to fight and get them here now. Don't overlook humans or Weres. I'll make the phone calls."

Bill was about to balk when Jessica walked into his office. The sight of her, remembering that the witch had almost made his progeny burn in the sun because he had not listened to Eric to begin with, was enough to have him rethinking his strategy – or lack thereof. Perhaps it would be better to let Eric handle the response needed to deal with a fledgling army of zombies, Russell Edgington, Steve Newlin, and whatever other vampires had decided to join their ranks. "All right, Eric. I'll start gathering fighters."

Sookie had heard Eric's side of the conversation. She listened intently as Eric told her everything and got dressed. "I want you to stay in here. I'm really sorry about this…"

"I can't stay here, Eric. I'm human, remember? I need to use the bathroom and I need to eat," Sookie interjected.

Eric's mouth closed into a thin, tight line. She had a point. Having a human lover had always been a tricky proposition for any vampire, but being in love with one bordered on insanity because of the fragile nature of their bodies. Keeping Sookie safe was imperative, but keeping her healthy also took priority. How to reconcile both needs? His first thought, to call upon Herveaux, was quickly dismissed when a surge of jealousy attacked him.

"I'll make my phone calls while I watch over you," he decided as he watched Sookie dress with more than a hint of regret. He had imagined a whole night devoted to her. Now it would be a long night, but for a different reason. There was nothing to be done about it other than to get ready for what was sure to be a gruesome fight.

**TBC**


	11. Magical Creatures

**A/N: **I found some extra time, and believe me nobody was as surprised as me. This chapter has been running through my head for WAY too long, so here it is.

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><p><strong>Chapter 11 – Magical Creatures<strong>

The night air shimmered around a headstone in the Bon Temps Cemetery, unbeknownst to any of the inhabitants of the houses that bordered the spooky place. It isn't something that is seen every day, only once every few years or so, or more often if there happens to be a pursuit. Time is relative between worlds, and though Sookie had returned from Faerie nearly two months before in earthly time, to any fairy it had been merely a couple of minutes since she had left... seconds since Claudine had disappeared and Claude had gone after her.

Claude found himself in a vaguely familiar place. He'd been at the cemetery before, but couldn't remember it being so overgrown, or the trees being so large, or there being so many memorials to dead humans. A tiny cherub smiled upon him from its stony seat; a sober-looking headstone shined in its freshness. It must have been brand new, the marble still resplendent and white. Claude wasn't interested in any of the headstones or sculptures, only in finding his sister and bringing her back. This earthly plane of existence was not suitable for fairies, that much was true, but neither was HIS plane of existence suitable for fairy hybrids like Sookie and her grandfather who were mostly human.

Nose to the air, he caught the scent of vampire from several directions, but the faint scent of fairy from only one: to the east. He followed it slowly, deeply aware that the two mingled scents were not a good sign. He understood how time worked here, and knew that even as fast as he'd followed his sister, there was no guarantee as to her current whereabouts. Nevertheless, he hoped that her stubbornness in following the queen's orders hadn't been her ultimate undoing, although with the scent of vampire becoming more and more pronounced, Claude feared that his sister's fate had been sealed.

A house Claude had seen before rose from the cypresses and oaks surrounding the cemetery. The scent of vampire was strong enough around the house to give Claude cause to pause completely before leaving the relative safety of the tree line. The house was mostly dark, with a few spots of light on the first floor. He could hear voices, a man and a woman. He knew this was the Stackhouse property, so he had to assume the woman was Sookie, still doing well and alive. And, he thought, she had been visited by vampires very recently. The whole area reeked of the undead.

Claude disappeared from the tree line and reappeared near an illuminated window of the house. Through it he could see several chairs and other furniture, but nothing else. The voices had come from another part of the house, though now they were mute. Slowly he made his way farther back, past the front door, trying his best to avoid the bits of light that spilled from the windows. It wasn't easy, but he managed to reach the window of another room. It was the kitchen, he thought to himself, remembering the various appliances that humans used to cook their food.

A chill ran down his spine when he realized that he could see Sookie, and she didn't look safe at all. It seemed like a vampire – a very large vampire – was eating her where she sat on top of a counter. He was about to enter the home and pry him off her when a soft moan from her mouth stopped him. Claude listened and watched closely: the short, shallow breaths Sookie was taking, the way she had wrapped her arms and legs around the vampire, and the way he was moving around her... he wasn't eating her! He was kissing her!

He'd been aware that Claudine had met with a vampire who had been Sookie's lover, but the one currently in her kitchen did not resemble the dark-haired one that his sister had described to Queen Mab. Claude watched – half in wonder, half in horror – the amorous exchange taking place in front of his eyes. Sookie was far from scared of the vampire, and the vampire was not doing anything that could potentially harm her. As a matter of fact, he thought, the vampire was being exceedingly cautious, given their propensity to use their full strength when in close quarters with fairies.

"Dinner AND a show," a low feminine voice purred behind him before Claude found himself held down on the ground by the throat. The smell of death was so strongly coming from her that he had confused the vampire now holding him for something else he could smell in the air.

Claude didn't hesitate as her mouth closed on his neck, but it wasn't his own power that dislodged the vampire from his body. The bolt had come from somewhere else. He didn't waste time. As soon as he felt his body become free, he disappeared as far away as he could. He would have to wander for the rest of the night and come back to Sookie's house during the day while it was safer. There was simply no way to visit Sookie during the night, not with the type of company she kept.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I'm sorry!" Sookie exclaimed, running to see what kind of damage she had done to Pam. Something inside her had propelled her to save the fairy that Pam was about to drain, even if now she thought that it might have been against her better judgment. Who knew which fairy that had been? She saw it was a male, but couldn't be sure if it had been the one who had helped her and her grandfather escape from Faerie.

"She's all right," Eric said, already tending to Pam. "Just stunned."

"I just… I don't know if that fairy was good or bad or what," Sookie said honestly, looking around to see if the fairy had stayed. If he was smart, he would have gone very far and not remained anywhere close to Sookie's house. But who could tell with fairies?

"Is my hair burning?" Pam asked while still lying on the ground.

"Not that I can tell, but…" Eric began, and took a deep breath of the air around his child. "The smell of death is dissipating," he finished, watching Pam closely. The witch's curse seemed to be lifting right before his eyes. Sookie had done it again.

"If a zap from Sookie's hands was all it took, then why didn't she zap me earlier? That hurt, by the way," Pam said, giving Sookie a dirty look and getting up from the ground with a lot of effort, using Eric's arm for leverage. She thought this was the way humans felt every morning: slow to wake, slow to move, creaky and achy. For one brief moment she actually felt a bit of empathy for the human condition.

"I'm sorry, Pam," Sookie repeated, keeping her distance. A pissed off Pam was the last thing she needed. She already had one, maybe two, vampires after her.

"Let's go inside and talk," Eric said looking around them. He was feeling uncomfortable and vulnerable outside of the house and the protection it provided against uninvited vampires.

Sookie returned to the kitchen and continued cooking her meal for the night, an endeavor that had been interrupted by Eric's sudden need to claim her for himself again. Not that she had minded. She smiled to herself remembering how Eric had hugged her as she stirred some pasta, then lifted her onto the counter and kissed her ever so slowly and deliberately. Eric's keen sense of hearing and smell had interrupted their exchange when he said there was a fairy outside. He'd been right.

"So unfair," Pam grumbled. "I was really looking forward to fairy for dinner."

"I don't feel like chasing you all day like I did with Eric. You wouldn't be half as easy to catch," Sookie said, grumbling too.

"I sure am not," Pam said with a sly smile.

"Enough," Eric said rolling his eyes at Pam. "How are you feeling?"

"Like the kitchen is spinning." Pam sat at the table with a less than graceful motion, which was very unlike her. "I suppose this is what humans feel like when they are drunk."

"You'll be fine in a few minutes. For now you should concentrate on the fact that the curse has been lifted thanks to Sookie," Eric said. It was high time Pam learned some manners. She was supremely smart, except when it came to Sookie, and the jealousy had to stop already.

Pam remained quiet for several seconds, trying her best to avoid Eric's insistent gaze. He towered over her where he stood, a force to be reckoned with. She knew better than to defy him, and she really WAS feeling much better thanks to Sookie. "Thank you for lifting the curse, Sookie," she said, adopting the best tone of voice she could manage.

"My pleasure," Sookie said and continued with her cooking.

"Why are there fairies roaming your property, Sookie? I understand they're your kin, but it is… irregular," Eric commented, taking a seat at the table next to Pam.

Sookie took a deep breath. How was she supposed to explain THAT particular mess? It was no use lying and saying she didn't know the fairies' agenda because Eric could read her like a book, and what purpose would it serve anyhow? It wasn't like she wanted to go back to Faerie anyway. She hated to see anybody get hurt or killed, but perhaps having vampires on the lookout for fairies would be best.

"The fairy you drained," Sookie began, turning to Eric, "was here trying to get me to go back to Faerie."

"Back to Faerie?" Pam asked. "So that's where you were."

Sookie nodded sadly, remembering the very brief reunion with her grandfather, and all the other hybrid humans who had no choice now but to remain in Faerie. "Her name was Claudine. She was working for the Queen. The Queen of the fairies wants to bring all the hybrids like me back to Faerie."

Eric gave a wry chuckle. "That's impossible. What would be the point anyway? Their world is dying."

"Yes, I noticed," Sookie agreed, serving herself some dinner although she had lost her appetite. She offered the vampires some True Bloods before sitting down to eat.

"So now we have to worry about Sookie's safety on two fronts: Russell's zombies and the fairies," Pam pointed out, looking at Sookie as she ate. Such a small person causing so much trouble… Perhaps she SHOULD eat more, fatten up, and make her girth proportional to the trouble she'd caused.

"We're getting help with Russell. It should arrive tomorrow night. In the meantime," Eric turned to Sookie, "you should speak to Merlotte and tell him what is going on. He is strong enough to watch over you during the day, at least while you're at work."

Sookie frowned. "I don't know if you noticed, but the fairies are coming here, and any zombie can come here too before I even get to work."

"I think it's time your brother started helping out as well. Can't he see you to work safely? Why do you always have to be alone?" Pam stood up. It was true that she resented Sookie about many things, but some things were obviously beyond the girl's control.

"I wish Lafayette hadn't left," Sookie said in a low voice between bites. The situation was dire and she needed all the help she could get wherever she could get it. Her brother was flaky at best. Having Lafayette around would help her immensely, at least during the day.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

There wasn't anything that could have made Lafayette go back to Sookie's house other than the very real threat to her safety. Eric's promise to pay for his mother's care until she passed away also had a bit to do with his final decision to return to Sookie's. Of course, being in his house by himself was not all that great either.

"I'm just a medium. What can I do?" Lafayette asked as he sat at Sookie's table. It had been a long night. It was nearly two in the morning by the time he had arrived at the house.

"You know enough magic to safeguard the house," Eric answered.

Eric was right. Lafayette knew enough now to be able to put a spell around the property that would repel anybody that wasn't invited. His body had played host to three different entities, two of whom had been well-versed in the art of magic. Between what he had retained from them, and what Jesús had taught him, Lafayette was more powerful than he'd ever been.

"I'll do it, but only for Sookie's sake," Lafayette said finally, pointing at both Eric and Pam. He felt Sookie's soft hand on his, a gesture of gratitude. She was the only one left – other than his mother – that he gave two shits about. If anything happened to that little blond girl he would never forgive himself. And that was the point, wasn't it? He'd been the one who had gotten in deep with the vampires by selling vampire blood. He had been the one to allow Marnie to influence both him and Jesús. He could have set his foot down, or backed away, but ultimately it had been Sookie who had saved them all from the witch and her spirit.

The next morning he began working around the house with Sookie humming happily in the kitchen as she made breakfast. He suspected she enjoyed having company as much as he did. He finally made his way into the kitchen to set up the wards there, just as Sookie was finishing making their meal.

"You cook just like Gran," Lafayette commented. The whole house smelled like bacon and biscuits.

"I learned from the best. Even when times were lean, she always tried to feed everybody," Sookie said smiling. It was nice having someone to cook for, even if it wasn't her boyfriend. She remembered her silly wish to share a morning meal with Bill, and wondered at her sanity when it came to relationships. At least Eric didn't take so much blood that she ended up feeling, quite literally, drained. She actually felt pretty energized that morning.

The doorbell rang and startled both Sookie and Lafayette. They both looked at each other and exchanged a glance with the same question. Neither had been expecting company.

"I'll go," Lafayette said, leaving Sookie to finish in the kitchen. He opened the door to a very angry werewolf.

"I need to see Sookie," Alcide said in a very deep voice that carried through the house. His footsteps followed, stomping over and around Lafayette.

"What the fuck is your problem?" Lafayette asked, closing and locking the front door and following Alcide to the kitchen.

"My problem is that these fucking vampires left Sookie alone and she's in danger," Alcide answered, his voice booming. "Sookie you need to come with me, now!"

"Um… no," Sookie said looking at Alcide as if he'd grown an extra head.

"She's not alone, motherfucker," Lafayette said, walking to stand between Sookie and Alcide. He didn't like Alcide's tone or how close he'd gotten to Sookie. Alcide backed off a couple of steps.

"Did they tell you that Russell Edgington is still alive? He's alive and is raising an army of zombies. He wants you and wants to start a war against humans," Alcide finally explained.

Sookie tried her best to keep an even, calm tone of voice. "I know all about it. Why didn't you tell me earlier than now?"

"I just found out. Russell's been raiding fresh graves, and soon he'll be killing people to turn them into his own dead soldiers."

"I guess he gave up on the likes of you," Lafayette pointed out, having a suspicion that Alcide had worked directly for Russell no matter what he'd said to Eric.

Alcide didn't acknowledge Lafayette's remark. "Sookie, you need to come with me. I'm the only one who can protect you. Pack up your things."

"I already said no. I'm not leaving my house, and I can protect myself plenty well, thank you very much! Now get out of my house before I show you how I do the protecting," Sookie said, feeling her fingers prickle with electricity when she wanted them to for the first time ever. That was something almost worth celebrating, if she hadn't been so mad. She was done with werewolves. Bunch of lunatics, literally!

"You heard the lady. Now get!" Lafayette said, taking a couple of steps forward. He, like Sookie, knew that Alcide's bitch had killed Tara. Unfortunately, neither of them could say anything to Alcide because Sookie had then killed Debbie, and it wouldn't be fair for Sookie to pay for that crime when she had done it to protect her own life. Besides, what would Alcide's reaction be? Nobody wanted to find out.

"Fine!" Alcide said putting up his hands in surrender before pointing an accusatory finger at Sookie. "Don't come to me if you need help. I'm done trying to do right by you."

"Nobody asked you to!" Sookie said exasperated. "Eric paid you to keep me safe in Jackson, and you didn't! You let Russell find me and take me. And then…" Sookie was going to throw Debbie's attempt on her life when she felt Lafayette's hand reach for hers.

"And then what?" Alcide pressed.

"Nothing. It's all over now. Please leave my house," Sookie said in a more subdued voice.

Alcide turned and left. Lafayette followed to make sure the door was locked behind him. He returned to the kitchen to find Sookie holding her upper half against the table.

"I feel so guilty," she mumbled. "He should know what Debbie was capable of."

"He knew, girl. Believe me, he knew what she could do but decided not to notice. She was an addict. It was just a matter of time for her to repeat what she'd already done before." Lafayette put his arm around Sookie. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," she said, leaning against Lafayette. It was good to have one friend who cared and didn't have any hidden agendas, like wanting to get in her pants.

"What you said about Alcide letting Russell find you… Do you believe that? Because I'll tell you something, girl: I wouldn't trust that motherfuckin' wolf as far as I can throw his overgrown ass."

Sookie thought about it. "I said it in the heat of the moment, but… I don't know." She stopped talking when something moved inside her. "Um…" she frowned, "let me go check on Eric," she said, unsure of why she felt the urge to go see him in the middle of the day.

"You go check, I'll get breakfast on the table. At some point we gonna eat," said Lafayette, giving her a soft squeeze before releasing her.

As soon as Sookie stepped close to the cubby, she heard the locks disengage. Obviously Eric was up in the middle of the day. She made her way down slowly, finding Eric walking back and forth inside the cubby like a caged animal, holding his shirt against his nose.

"Alcide was here," she said before he asked, even though she could tell Eric knew very well all about the unexpected visit.

"I heard everything. Don't let him in the house during the day. If he comes again, call the cops. Someone like him wouldn't want trouble with the police. It would damage his reputation," Eric said, his voice even but his thoughts evidently in chaos.

"All right, will do," Sookie agreed readily. She wasn't about to let Alcide back in the house anyway.

"I thought he was the lesser of all evils. I thought that I had enough on him to keep him in line," Eric shook his head. "One of my many mistakes."

"Let's just move forward, okay? I'm tired of all this guilt you're carrying around. There's nothing in your set of skills that tells me you can go back in time and fix your mistakes, so…" Sookie shrugged. "Can't we just move on?"

Eric didn't answer right away, although he was looking at Sookie with new eyes. "You've changed."

"Yes, I guess I have. If I kept thinking about the mistakes I made, I'd go nuts. Lafayette just reminded me that I'm a lot like my Gran, and if I want to do justice to her memory, I need to start behaving more like her."

"She must have been a wise woman," Eric agreed and sat on the bed.

"She was the best," Sookie said and put her hands on Eric's shoulders, guiding him back to a prone position. "Go back to sleep. We'll talk more tonight." She kissed him softly and watched as his eyes closed with the weight of the day.

**TBC**


End file.
